As we are all aware, social media is continually evolving and platforms are investing huge levels of resource to introduce new competitive features before their peers. With new updates every week, keeping on top of the latest innovations and how to use them can become a painstaking task that you just cannot make time for.
To assist, we have rounded-up the latest social media features you need to be aware of.
Facebook:
By quite a substantial figure, Facebook is still the largest and widest-reaching social media platform in the world with 2.8 billion monthly active users. The social media giant has been focusing on improving its user experience with new, intuitive features that will enable the platform to drive engagement. The latest features include:
“Call Now” & “Get Directions” feature on ads
Facebook has added “Call Now” and “Get Directions” buttons to local mobile adverts to help drive direct traffic to businesses. The feature will be shown in the bottom right-hand corner of each advertising unit that appears in the news feeds of those using the Facebook mobile app. You can insert the buttons when developing your local and targeted adverts in the Business Manager platform for your Facebook pages. These new features are part of Facebook’s local awareness programme, with the aim to help small businesses expand their reach in the most cost-effective way possible.
Cover image call to action
In addition to the new advert button features, the platform also now enables businesses to utilise their page’s cover image with a call-to-action button located just beneath that space.
Whether you are encouraging people to join your mailing list, send an enquiry or call your team directly, you can regularly update this feature to integrate with your wider social media strategy. To add to your own Facebook page, head to your settings and select ‘page information. You will be able to track how often the button is used and how effective it is for your business through your analytics tab.
Bonus fact: It is worth noting that users aged between 25–34 years have just become Facebook’s largest demographic when developing your marketing strategy.
Twitter:
Although the allure of Twitter has reduced in recent years, the social media platform continues to see an incremental growth of its user base year-on-year. In March 2021, the platform will celebrate its 15th anniversary and is expected to reach 190 million daily active users before the end of the year. The latest features on Twitter include:
Twitter Spaces
Twitter is developing and testing an audio-only chatroom version of its platform, where two to 10 people can participate in facilitated conversations. Hosts of a ‘space’ can invite people through direct messages or by sharing links via social networks, text, or email.
Sound familiar? Read our insight on the new audio-only social media platform, Clubhouse.
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