Social Media News May 2022

Mai 6, 2022

New LinkedIn features 

 

LinkedIn can be a helpful marketing platform for a company. Especially work-related topics that can be marketed effectively via LinkedIn. For this reason, LinkedIn continues to develop in the direction of marketing with these new features.  

 From now on you can put a link under your profile on LinkedIn. The link will be visible under your username and the description. This makes it easier for the LinkedIn community to directly access the work of people and companies, perhaps even look at their job listings. A special feature here are the link texts, which can be customized. In this way, companies can ensure that the link they provide generates the necessary attention. One advantage of this function is that more link clicks are activated at an organic level. 

Another exciting new feature is the sharing of newsletter links in the „Features“ section of your profile. With a „Subscribe“ button, your followers and friends can access the newsletter directly.  

 

It seems that LinkedIn is aiming to make it easier for companies to achieve organic reach. According to Andrew Hutchinson from SocialMediaToday, these new updates aren’t game-changers, but they could all become helpful if used properly. Therefore, it could be worth your while to work with more linking and appropriate link texts.  

 

Changed Instagram algorithm provides more visibility for original creators 

 

Since the rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels, the discussion about original content is becoming more and more central to the creator community. The question many are asking is: Why do creators who copy trends get more reach than those who create new trends? 

Instagram wants to counteract this supposedly unfair distribution with its new algorithm and organically push original content and accounts. According to Jan Firsching from futurebiz, Instagram’s goal is to give new content more visibility. On the other hand, copied and stolen content should get less reach. The reason for the new change is the importance of original and creative creators on Instagram. They ensure that Instagram does not become boring for users in the future.  

 In order to implement this, the algorithm should recognize whether an Instagram Reel already exists in this or a similar form on the platform. Overlaps with TikTok could become a problem in this case. So, what will the algorithm do if videos from TikTok are reposted on Instagram?  

 We are curious to see how Instagram will implement its announced change and whether it will be as easy as presented. Nevertheless, we are pleased that in the future, creators with original content and ideas will be rewarded. 

 

App newcomer: BeReal 

 

Have you heard of BeReal? This new app may be the new hit among Gen Z. 

The concept of the new app is the following: with real-time networking, more real-life moments are to be shared. The focus will be on the engagement between the users. BeReal app operators hope that this will create more authenticity on social media. Something that some people might be missing since the flood of filters and the number of Reels and TikToks. The app’s download figures also confirm this assumption. Since the beginning of 2022, it has increased by around 315 per cent. 

 And this is how the app works: the user receives a daily notification from the app. After receiving this, they have two minutes to create a contribution for their friends. The special feature is the fact that the front and back cameras are used simultaneously, and there are no filters or editing functions. If you want to see your friends‘ posts, you must create a post yourself first. This greatly increases the number of posts and engagement within the app and makes it almost impossible to have an empty account.  

 According to Larissa Ciccio from Onlinemarketing.de, BeReal creates the perfect countertrend to the otherwise perfect Instagram feed. Perhaps this creates an opportunity for younger people to escape the pressure of social media. The app’s principle of „one post per day“ could also work well. This limits the users and creates a certain tension.  

We are looking forward to the future. Is BeReal a real competitor of TikTok and co. or rather a Clubhouse 2.0? 

 

Meta integrates new AR formats 

 

AR has been a popular feature among both users and companies for a long time now. And the trend doesn’t seem to stop. On the contrary, it continues to evolve.  

Meta in particular; is trying to expand the AR experience. Creators now have more tools in their own Spark AR Studio. The focus here will also be on audio options. According to Andrew Hutchinson from SocialMediaToday, audios can be edited better in the future or voice effects can be added. Here, too, we see a connection to TikTok. Because as we know, sounds and new ways of music are true USPs of TikTok. 

Furthermore, there are new improvements for the insertion of virtual objects into the real world.  

 Initially, the new features will only be offered on Instagram. However, it also makes sense to test it on this app first, since more Reels and short videos are produced here. Meta also has high hopes that it will be able to push Instagram Reels even further.  

 

Trust issues in influencer marketing 

 

Influencers are particularly well-suited to increase the popularity of a brand or to stimulate sales figures on the social network. However, a study by Nielsen on the subject of trust in advertising has now shown that older people hardly believe influencers. 

  52 per cent of Gen Z and millennials trust the messages of influencers completely or at least partially. However, from the age of 65, credibility drops to 23 per cent. But according to Stefan Schasche from W&V, this should not be a reason to stop relying on influencer marketing. Rather, the study showed that influencer campaigns increase brand sympathy and also increase purchase intentions.  

However, the authenticity of the influencers is important. After all, the opinions of friends are still the most trusted. So, if the selected influencer puts a lot of effort into communicating with his followers on one level, the probability increases that they will also follow his purchase recommendation. This is precisely why it is important that the campaign is realistic and humorous – just like real life. The Nielsen study discovered that sexual and sentimental content, on the other hand, is not well received by users.  

 

TikTok expands video advertising 

 

It is still not that easy to place ads on TikTok that fit in well with the consumers „For You“ page. In most cases, products only become TikTok bestsellers when they are presented by creators in viral videos. However, this new feature could help drive more success through ads. 

TikTok has launched interactive add-ons to make it easier for companies to market their brand and products in the app. These add-ons include countdown stickers, as we already know them from Instagram, voting stickers and others. According to Larissa Ceccio from onlinemarketing.de, interaction functions can attract the attention of users and strengthen engagement. In addition, there is the possibility of strengthening the buying interest of those users who have not yet been encouraged to buy through in-feed ads. By animating participation in the ad, a closer connection to the brand and its products is created.  

 Recommendation: 

Try out the new interactive formats and see-through tests and experiments if the engagement on your ads increases. Following this, small features like these could make a big difference. 

 

Author:

Anna LemkeÂ