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2017 Social Media Updates

June 27, 2017 by Dabrian Marketing Group 4 Comments

In my younger years as a millennial, there seemed to always be a new social media platform. From Xanga, to Myspace, and then finally to Facebook, none of them seemed to stick around and keep our attention. However, Facebook started a new trend – consistent updates and new features. Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram also utilize this method to stay relevant and appealing to its users. These updates are critical to their survival.

As a millennial, these changes were simply… fun. But, now as a social media marketer, they are important to keep your audience’s attention. Only half way through the year and we have seen many updates thus far! Here are a few of the latest.

Twitter - Live From The Twittersphere

Twitter has been having an identity crisis. Competing with the ‘almighty’ Facebook could leave it feeling lost and distressed. Last year, began its outcry to rebrand itself. They began to reiterate the fact the Twitter is for what’s happening right now around the world. This led to the recent launch of the #SeeEverySide campaign. This will feature tweets from real people across the globe of every point and perspective. Check it out:

Who’s your greatest of all time?#SeeEverySide https://t.co/x3g3fHVur1
— Twitter (@Twitter) June 26, 2017

In addition to its fight to stay top-of-mind, they’ve recently unleashed its ‘refreshed’ look. Some features were initially on Android last year, but after a lot of approval, it is now on IOS, too. The Twitter updates include:

Reorganized navigation
Articles open directly inside app, so a user stays logged in
Bolder headlines and refined typography.
New symbols – Many new users complained the old reply button looked like a ‘back’ or ‘delete’ button.
Live updates on likes, retweets, and replies proving Twitter is providing you real-time information

At the request of its users, major improvements have made the user experience great. Most people are pleased with how it looks. Next, Twitter needs to listen to the businesses, those connecting with their users, to provide each “Tweeter” an even better (local) experience.

Snapchat - “X” Marks The Spot on Snap Map

Snapchat, another “real-time” social media platform not only has consistent updates, but very unique ones at that. The latest update, which has been stirring up controversy, is their Snap Map. You can explore any event around the world and see exactly where your Snap-friends are at that moment. Snapchat wants you to see where your friends are or local events nearby, so you can join in on the fun, too! This worries parents, but the company assures anyone who does not want their location visible to friends, the user can turn on ‘Ghost Mode’ to disable the Snap Map.

A business update Snapchat has implemented is that every business now has its own geofilter. It shows the business name along with the city it’s located in. This screams to me, “Brand Awareness!” and I like it, a lot.

Instagram - Helping Businesses Tell Their Story

Since being bought by Facebook, a lot of what you see on Facebook is also on Instagram which now makes it a major competitor. Instagram’s recent updates focus more on businesses who use platform than their audiences. Instagram Stories now has business tagging and linking. From someone’s story, a location can be found on a map or an external link can be clicked on. Instagram Story ads also have new objectives (not simply to build brand awareness). We can now track reach, video views, traffic to a website, conversions, and mobile app installs which will be great to track future performance of a particular ad.

Facebook - The Older You Are, The Wiser You Get

Lastly, my absolute favorite to manage – Facebook. As soon as I finish writing this, I am sure that Facebook will be soon releasing another new feature that we will have to get up-to-speed with (and personally, I am completely okay with that – hence why, I love social). If you currently are on Facebook or are running a Facebook account get ready for:

GIFs in comments – However, I can’t wait until these are added to posts
More control over ad placement – The location of ads will change slightly
Soon-to-Come Cover Videos along with new text headlines – How fun is that?!
Target a particular post to a specific audience
Facebook Live updates coming soon – I highly recommend your business use Facebook Live
New Photo Album Features

Phew! This is a lot of to keep up with and this isn’t even all of it. In a few years, Facebook will release an augmented reality component. There are many things this will allow a user to do. One in particular, you will be able to leave secret messages for friends a bar or restaurant. By using the app, the message will appear exactly where they left it on the table or bartop.

Overwhelmed? This is why hiring a social media marketer makes your life easier.

While it might be a pain to constantly update your applications (and clear more room on your IOS system), your business’ social account must stay trendy and relevant. Your competitors may find new features to grow their business before you and you’ll be forgotten just like Xanga and MySpace.

To learn more about social media marketing, ask a question below or check our social media accounts.

Does My Business Need to Be on Instagram?

March 12, 2014 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Everywhere you look (including our own blog from time to time), agency insiders, marketing pros, and influencers post blogs and articles following this general formula:

“(x) Tips to Solve ”

Personally, I think this format is a little overdone, even hedging on passé. Sure, it’s approachable, skimmable, and a decent way to deliver lots of info in a structured way. The problem is a majority of marketing problems aren’t this cut and dry. So why don’t we try something different? As I cover the topic of whether businesses should use Instagram, I’m going to break the question down—literally. Let’s tackle this issue piece by piece, starting with…

”Does my business…”

For me, this first piece boils down to the matter of intent. Is your company prepped and ready to simply give Instagram the “ol’ college try,” or will you consider your options and proceed with tact? Will you evaluate your track record for pursuing new marketing channels or rushing in guns blazing, ostensibly throwing caution to the wind?
As you move forward, just know that something that starts as a poorly-planned whim will likely end up poorly executed, poorly measured, and more trouble in the long run. If, however, your answers all point toward the positive, we can move on.

”…need…”

Next, I’d think it best to determine exactly how you and your company define “need.” Do you need to achieve your business goals this year? Do you need to spur a more meaningful, influential social media presence? Do you need to humanize the brand identity you’ve helped to create? Do you need more likes, retweets, and “doubleplusgood”’s from everyone who takes a liking to a piece of content you’ve developed?

Yes, I do realize that these questions were rather simple at first glance. Now for a curve ball. To what end do your company’s goals, presence, and social media accolades lead you? What do such things mean in the context of helping or hurting your business?

In other words, do you really need them at all?

”…to be on…”

Now, are we talking “on” like the opposite of “off,” or “on” as in “on like Donkey Kong”? In any case, we’ve now made our way to the approach itself. How inclusive is your strategy to the digital channels in your arsenal? Have you consulted with an outside resource or someone with more strategic field experience than you?

Frankly, it’s not enough to just be “on” anywhere anymore. Your customers are smart, and you can’t rely on their falling for something that may potentially disillusion them. You’ve got to firmly plant your brand identity into every avenue through which you plan to reach your audience, especially if it’s somewhere you know a majority of them have been flocking. When (not if) they reach out, will you be there? How proactive vs. reactive will you be, or can you be, given your available resources?

”…Instagram?”

If you think about it, we could easily be talking about Vine, Tumblr, Snapchat, or any number of networks seeing a burgeoning level of popularity. The thing is, this is the part of the question that matters the least. If your customers are there, and you know you can fulfill a need, offer insight, or somehow “contribute to the conversation,” this choice should be on the bottom of your priority list.

If anything, this point lends something to the evolving nature of social. Sure, some behemoths will be around for years to come, but as marketers, we all need to understand that whether our message goes out in print, a social media post, or a tiny filtered photo, we should first ask whether we have something to say. That, really, is the most important question of all.

What do you think; did this post ask more questions than it answered? Feel free to yell at us in the comments!

Snap That: The Rise of Microcontent Marketing

July 24, 2013 by Dabrian Marketing Group 1 Comment

What is Microcontent?

In April of 2012, the filtered photo sharing behemoth Instagram was sold for $1 billion, and recently, Snapchat, the “self-destructing” photo messaging smartphone app, saw its market value soar to over $800 million. Twitter’s Vine, another popular smartphone app for sharing looping 6-second videos, has garnered over 13 million users since it hit the mainstream (and that was on iOS devices alone). These booming platforms enable users to share the tiniest blips of their lives with their friends and the world by promoting the creation of microcontent.

With microcontent platforms, users can say a lot with only a little, effortlessly sharing a small piece of their everyday lives, flexing their creative muscles to tell a story, or otherwise dictating a profound, personal message. The social media environment has always been inherently fast-paced, and as long as the figures above persist, it’s safe to say that this genre of user-generated content will only continue to proliferate.

Why does Microcontent Matter for Marketing?

A key for successful content marketing has always been crafting a message that not only delivers relevant and valuable information, but also resonates with its audience, affecting them in a personal and meaningful way. Years ago, this was achieved through brand loyalty campaigns and the repetitive broadcast marketing of TV and Radio. In today’s social-driven world, however, these tactics have become next to archaic.

For brands both big and small, the goal is now participation, interaction with customers, and striving to create a one-on-one dialogue with their audiences. The days of catchy jingles and cute product mascots are drawing to a close; with social media, consumers are more empowered than ever. A single disingenuous claim or deceptive marketing tactic will spread like wildfire, placing companies at the mercy of their fan base and sometimes into predicaments from which recovery can seem impossible.

The Marketing “Wave of the Future”?

Keeping up with trends and the new, exciting ways in which your business can market and communicate with customers is a step in the right direction no matter your industry or area of expertise. Without some effort on your part to learn about and develop strategies around new forms of content, you’ll soon become as obsolete as that stack of old roadmaps you keep in your glove compartment. And don’t forget, your analytics data will eventually show how your snail’s pace has caught up with you.

On the other hand, there’s also your audience itself to consider. Now more than ever, consumers are getting privy to the ways ads find their way into their everyday lives. New forms of communication like microcontent signify a call to action for marketers to come up with innovative ways to reach prospective audiences without overwhelming them, wasting their time, or blatantly throwing out one sales pitch after another. In this day and age, the best way to market a product or service is to just be awesome. By telling a gripping story, humanizing your company, or turning something familiar on its head, people will start talking. And that’s what social media is all about, communication and forming connections.

I urge you to think about the ways your business may benefit from the next Instagram or Vine. Will it provide a means for you to connect with customers on a level you never thought possible? Will it allow you to speak volumes by showing the difference your product has made in people’s lives? Or will it simply get people engaging with you because they feel like they finally can?

To find answers to these questions, start by doing some research, figuring out what works best for your business, and above all, embracing the technology and becoming part of the conversation. Microcontent may seem small, but its marketing value has limitless potential.