I remember when I used to work on the marketing team of a retail store and look forward to the 1-2 updates on social media per month. Wondering if it was going to be a new content type, a new feature, or maybe a new page layout. Well, long gone are those days as social media is in constant motion, and changing WEEKLY! There are now 3 or more updates per week to stay on top of.
As your digital besties and social media strategists, let the Crystal Media team keep you in the loop on what has changed, and how retailers should adjust their content strategy accordingly. We’ll always keep you updated on social media marketing, and share specifically what’s working for retailers (as not all of it is necessary for small business owners to know and adapt to).
Here’s a breakdown of the latest updates that relate to small business social media marketing!
New Pages Experience on Facebook:
The New Pages Experience has been the latest change on Facebook Business Pages these past few months and, like it or not, Meta is rolling out this new layout to every account, full speed ahead!
There have been several glitches that have come along with this new page view, such as the “About Info” and “Additional Information” sections being removed, certain features and tabs being misplaced or removed, new tabs being added, and Insights having a refresh. We want to remind you, as with every new update, that new bugs will appear. Feel free to report any issues you’re having to Facebook, and keep updating your apps for the latest changes and bug fixes.
The first thing we’re recommending is to update the tabs on your Business Page by removing all of the extra tabs that aren’t necessary for your viewers’ experience. Streamlining your tabs gives your page viewers a clear path on where you really want them to go, like to your Videos, About, Reviews, and Photos tabs!
To do this select the “More” button within your tabs, and scroll down to “Manage Sections”. From here, you can remove the unwanted profile tabs such as Movies, Sports, Books, Check-Ins, Reviews Given, and any other tabs you find unnecessary for viewers to see.
TikTok Now:
It’s likely you’ve heard of BeReal, the latest viral app that encourages real time, unedited content to be posted within a certain time limit. TikTok has implemented a similar content sharing channel called TikTok Now, located within the TikTok app!
Using TikTok Now, you’ll receive a notification to post your Now photo/video within a 3 minute period. The user will then take a photo using the front and back camera and share exactly what’s happening in their lives at that moment. In the image below, you can see both Piccolo Mondo Toys and Turner Toys using this new content type within TikTok.
You have the option to post after the 3 minute window, but your post will contain a message saying you didn’t quite make it “on time” and will share how late your TikTok Now was taken. Also, only people who participate in TikTok Now are able to view the content posted by others. You can also “Explore” other people’s TikTok Nows, so you’re not seeing just your own community.
We find that this is a great way to stand out on the platform, as it’s a new feature and hasn’t been flooded with users quite yet! And keep in mind, platforms love when you use their new features!
Instagram Reels Crossposted to Facebook:
Retailers rejoice! Instagram has implemented a new feature that’s sure to save you time and lots of headaches. Sharing your Reels from Instagram to Facebook is the latest tool to streamline crossposting on both of your pages.
This feature has been available to your Stories for quite some time, but now IG accounts have the option to select “Share to Facebook” and your actual Reel will be posted to your Facebook page. If you only see the option to “Recommend on Facebook”, this means you do not have the option yet, so keep updating your Facebook app in the app store (whenever an update is available to you) until you gain access to this new feature. When your post is recommended on Facebook, it’s being shown within in-stream videos, but is not actually posted to your page.
Do you have access to this new (and exciting) feature that is sure to save you time?
Instagram Story Length:
Previously, there was a filming limit of 15 seconds per Story slide and a total of a 2 minute Story (comprising 15 second Story slides). That is no longer the case! You can now film for up to 60 seconds without getting cut off.
But keep in mind how audiences use Stories—the short form platform that’s notorious for retaining attention only temporarily. Users generally tap through Stories, and rarely commit a long period of time to watching a single video in a Story. Our advice: keep your Stories short and sweet, and post often, so there are several Stories for your viewers to click through!
Also, a bonus to posting several Stories vs. one long Story? You get to include several different link and engagement stickers to ask your viewers to interact with your content instead of merely viewing it.
What I Want You To Take Away From This Blog:
- Keeping up with social media marketing updates can help your content stay fresh and relevant.
- Use new features to be favored by the algorithm.
- Stay in the know on strategies that work specifically for retailers and business accounts.
Okay, over to you…
Which of these new features have you used before, and which ones are new to you? Let us know in the comments below!
You know we’re always happy to bring retailers the latest strategies that are working in social media. That’s why I’m so excited to invite you to Denver, Colorado on April 26th and April 27th for EVOLVE 2023. Secure your ticket now (only 200 seats available!) and join me, the Crystal Media team, retail & industry experts, and a community of small business owners for the best retail digital marketing conference in North America!
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