Recent Updates to Social Media Platforms That You Should Know

Social media is a marketing tool that is constantly updating and evolving. It’s common practice for platforms to make changes in order to improve user experiences while also making it easier for people to navigate the platform and use its features.

“Instagram implemented what new Stories feature?”… “What is this new Facebook change everyone is talking about?”

With how quickly social media moves, it can be hard to keep up with all of the updates rolling out from each platform. But don’t worry, that’s where the seasoned digital marketers at BOOST come into play! With this quick breakdown, we’re sharing all of the recent updates to your favorite social media platforms so that you’re in the know and can stay ahead of the game. We know social media tends to throw curveballs, but we’ll keep you from striking out!

Facebook

Community Chat Feature for Messenger and Groups

This is a feature that Facebook is testing out called “Community Chats” – allowing users to create a real-time chat, voice, and video channels directly within Messenger. The same can be done within Facebook Groups, where users can add real-time elements to community discussions and updates. 

The implementation of these updates is said to “seamlessly blend Groups and Messenger, providing a way to stay connected with your group and build deeper relationships,” as stated by Facebook directly. Those of you familiar with Slack and Discord may already know that these features exist there, and Facebook is just adding them to its platform.

Algorithm Content Distribution

A topic that is constantly up for debate among all marketers is how Facebook’s algorithm works, more specifically, how to ensure posts will show on followers’ feeds. Luckily, we finally have an answer from Meta directly:

1. What content has been posted? Facebook takes into account what content has been posted by your friends, creators, and other pages that is eligible to be shown now.
2. Who might like this content? Content will be distributed based on who Facebook thinks might be the most interested.
3. How likely are people to engage with your content? The algorithm will prioritize content that either already has a lot of engagement or is likely to have high engagement.
4. How interested will the audience be with your post? Facebook takes into account the types of accounts and content people follow and interact with when deciding where to push and who to push to.

New Pages Experience

You may have noticed that Facebook has slowly introduced a new Pages experience for small and medium-sized businesses over the last several months. This new experience is meant to make managing your page easier while still having access to the same, familiar features. 

While the cleaner layout and more streamlined approach is noticeable, our main focus is the new way you navigate to your Company Page. Before the update, managing multiple Pages was simple using ‘shortcuts’ on the bottom left side of your news feed. With the new update, users travel to the top right navigation bar and switch between their personal page and business page. 
What does that mean for my business? In all honesty, not much. The new Pages experience adds a bit of separation between personal and business profiles along with a dedicated feed for your page so it’s easier to connect with users as your business.

Instagram

Native Content Scheduling

Back in 2022, Instagram announced they were finally allowing users to post directly to Instagram from desktop (thank you IG 🙌). While this was a great step to continue the advancements of Instagram on desktop, a majority of users still prefer to use the mobile app. 

What Instagram did well was listening to its users, and as of recently, the team has announced the introduction of native content scheduling within the Instagram mobile app!

While users could schedule to Instagram (and Facebook) through Meta Business Suite, users who only use Instagram wanted something they could take advantage of. Business and Creator accounts can now schedule content up to 75 days in advance!

So how do I gain access to this new feature? Go through the normal motions of creating a post, whether that be a Reel or feed post, including writing your caption, adding filters, tagging users or location, etc. Before tapping “Share”, select the “Advanced Settings” option found at the bottom of the post editor. Within the expanded menu, you’ll see the option to schedule a future time and date for your content to be posted.
There are a few features that are not available for scheduling at this time, such as product tagging, cross-posting to Facebook, and boosting posts. However, we still consider this new feature to be a great improvement for both businesses and content creators.

Navigation Bar Change

At the beginning of this year, Instagram announced a big change to the layout of the navigation bars. Next month, the “Create” shortcut at the top right of your navigation bar will move to the bottom center navigation bar, replacing the Reels button.

Then how will we find Reels? Considering Reels isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and Instagram has no plans to rid the platform of that feature, it will move to replace the Shopping button. Which then leads us to our next question… what’s happening to the shopping feature? 

Instagram shopping isn’t going away entirely, as users will still have access to shops through the Discover tab, ads, Reels, or Stories. The main purpose behind this update is to make it easier and prioritize creating, which is what so many people come to this app to do.

Music on Feed Posts

This is big news – Instagram now allows users to add music to their feed posts! Instagram made this announcement through the following statement, “Music is a huge part of expression on the platform, and we’re excited to provide the ability to add music to Feed photo posts like you can with Reels and Stories.”

While the platform has allowed for music on other types of posts, this is a first for in-feed posts, and we’re here for it!

Multiple Links in Bio

Now this update hasn’t been widely released to the public yet, but it’s something to keep on your radar. Up until this point, Instagram would only allow for one link in bio and if you wanted additional, users would need to utilize an outside app like LinkTree. The look of the link in your bio doesn’t appear to be completely different, but to indicate that a users has additional links, users can click on the “Additional Links Menu” (this looks like a plus sign with a number, i.e. +3) in order to view their listed links.

Businesses or shops will find this update to be extremely useful if they want to include multiple links to different landing pages, services, or products for users.

Account Status

Account status is extremely useful if you have a professional account, and Instagram just expanded this feature. With this new update, users are able to know if their content is eligible for and will be considered to reach people outside of their followers. 

The new account status update allows you to:

• Check and see if your content is eligible for recommendation to non-followers.
• Learn how to fix problems with content that was flagged for not following community guidelines.
• See firsthand why you may be experiencing lower reach volumes in comparison to other content.

LinkedIn

Post Templates

Before, post templates were only available for a select few within the LinkedIn mobile app, but the popular networking platform has recently released the update to everyone!

These templates can be extremely useful in cutting back the time it takes to create a post, as users can simply select a template that fits the post the best, add text, links, images, and upload. For those on LinkedIn, you can now explore a library full of customizable templates for your next post.

Page Commitments

Page Commitments is a brand new feature that allows LinkedIn pages, specifically businesses, to feature their core values to potential partners, employees, and clients. With the ability to add additional content under each commitment, this feature gives prospects a little taste of who you are and what your business stands for.

You can see a business’s commitments under its “About Section” within its company page. 

Pinned Comments

Much like Instagram or TikTok, users on LinkedIn can now pin comments to the top of their posts. Pinning comments allows for other users to contribute to the conversation the original poster is trying to push, making for valuable and engaging conversation.

Twitter

Twitter Blue / Verification

As many know, the new Twitter Blue has been released to the public as a monthly subscription where users can purchase additional benefits as well as the infamous blue checkmark. 

Originally, this verification was set in place to protect Twitter by helping them find real accounts with verified credentials. Those with a blue checkmark needed to meet certain requirements and then submit an application. It also helped to keep companies and public figures safe from spam and parody accounts. 

Government officials and companies now have a newly introduced yellow checkmark, which is what the blue checkmark signified, now only yellow.

Visible Insights

As you scroll through your Twitter feed, you may have noticed something additional to the bottom row of a tweet, along with the retweet and like buttons. Twitter has added visible insights to the bottom of tweets so users can see how Tweets are performing, whether they are their own tweets or someone else’s.

Edit Button

If anything has us excited, it’s that Twitter has finally added an edit button. For years, users have longed for the ability to edit a tweet once it’s been posted.

However, there is a catch to the edit feature. Users are only allowed to edit their tweets within 30 minutes of it being posted and can only be edited up to 5 times. While not a huge deal, it’s still important to mention these caveats and keep them in mind.

Twitter Notes

Sometimes, 280 characters aren’t enough to convey a message, making Twitter a tricky platform for marketers to take advantage of. With the rollout of new feature “Notes,” Twitter users will be able to bypass the 280-character limit when composing tweets and updates. Twitter’s “Notes” allow users to write up to 2,500 words accompanied by different types of media, such as photos, links, etc.

Notes will have a unique URL for easier distribution and those outside of Twitter can still be reached, a truly unique feature that will be perfect for marketers.

We’ll Keep Tabs for You

We know it can be a lot to keep up with social media’s constantly changing landscape, but that’s where we can help! Our digital marketing department knows the ins and outs of all things social media and keeps up with the latest updates and changes so that you don’t have to. 

About BOOST Creative

We are Southwest Florida’s proven design resource for digital and print marketing for over 15 years. Our specialties include corporate identity, advertising campaigns, website development, and content marketing. We also offer a range of other services including marketing consultation, print production, search engine marketing (SEM), and social media marketing. Our team is composed of creative-minded, forward thinkers. With solid multi-industry experience and a foundation in education…we are the real deal. We serve businesses all over the country and are the chosen outsourcing option for many other advertising agencies and marketing consultants. Learn more about who we are.

Interested in working with us? Send us a message or give us a call!