đ LinkedIn closes the book on Stories, Instagram explains it all, and Twitter introduces Communities
Welcome to Prosek's Digital Download: the best digital marketing newsletter in financial services
Hi friends!
The latest edition of Prosekâs Digital Download is here! Todayâs newsletter is jam-packed â LinkedIn sunsets its experimental Stories feature (we all saw this coming), Instagram pulls back the curtain on its newsfeed algorithm (bookmarking as we speakâŚ), and Twitter joins the trend of private groups with their launch of âCommunitiesâ (Twitter really is testing out every feature, arenât they?). Youâll also find some additional âGood Readsâ and real-life marketing inspiration that will hopefully help you generate your own ideas and future Digital Download case study!
This newsletter is a joint effort from the Prosek Digital teamâspecial thanks to Alexis EauClaire, Inès Montfajon and Madeline Monaco for helping with this edition.
Before you begin reading the latest and greatest around the world of Digital and Social Media, I want to take a quick second to geek out on all of the key movies premiering this Fall that I plan on seeing (yes, I am a big-time movie nerd):
âThe Guilty,â a crime thriller starring the ever-talented Jake Gylenhaal
âThe Many Saints of Newark,â a prequel to the legendary Sopranos TV show
âNo Time to Die,â the final installment of Daniel Craigâs portrayal of 007
âHalloween Kills,â the highly anticipated sequel in the Michael Myers franchise
âDune,â a futuristic epic science fiction film adapted from the same 1965 novel
As offices begin reopening and colleagues begin interacting with one another once again, great cinematic masterpieces will once again be the talk of office water fountains and break rooms -- which we all desperately need as we emerge from our living room office setups and back into the real world.
Happy learning!
Digital Updates
LinkedIn Stories:Â LinkedIn Stories, in its current form, will be removed at the end of September after a short run and not long after Twitter abandoned its âFleetsâ feature. LinkedIn will evolve the Stories format into a reimagined video experience across LinkedIn thatâs even richer and more conversational.
Instagramâs Search Algorithm: Instagram is now providing more insight into how the platformâs feed ranking works, how it looks to match relevant content with user interests, and how creators can ensure their posts reach people in the app.
Twitter Communities: Twitter recently launched Communities, invite-only topic-based groups where users can tweet directly to other members rather than to just their followers. Communities will act as a rival to Facebook Groups and Reddit, for tweeting with others who share specific interests.
Full-Width Images & Videos: Twitter launched a live test of its new, full-width visual display for tweets in-stream. The new visual format will take up the entire horizontal space in the tweet feed, which will make shared images and videos stand out with more solid blocks of visuals in the app.
Removing Followers: Twitter launched the first live test of its new process to remove specific followers from your audience, potentially eliminating the need to block/unblock. This is part of Twitterâs broader focus on providing more control options for its users.
Conversation Placement Ads: Reddit launched its newest advertising option called Conversation Placement, an ad space positioned between the original post and the first comment in a thread. Advertisers can now position themselves right where people are connecting with one another, in a way they canât on any other platform.
TikTok
TikTok Overtakes YouTube: A recent report showed that TikTokâs users now spend more time each month watching content than YouTube users via Android phones. This is an impressive trend given the three-minute maximum of most of its videos, compared to the 10-minute format preferred by many YouTubers.
Updated Verification Guidelines: Facebook recently provided a new overview of its approach to verification, and who, exactly, qualifies for the blue checkmark in its apps. Facebook also clarified that its verification tick is not an endorsement from the platform, but a marker of notable accounts based on specific criteria.
Good Reads
How to Use Different Social-Media Platforms to Build Press Relationships: Itâs no secret that public relations are all about relationship building (hey, itâs in the name). Here's how to make the critical press connections that help your company get featured on four of the most used social media platforms.
Want to Buy Instagram Followers? Hereâs What Happens When You Do: Why do people buy Instagram followers? Is it worth it? What are the risks? Find out what happens when you whip out a credit card and buy the best Instagram followers money can buy.
Experiment: Do Reels Perform Better Than TikToks?: If you want to reach people who don't already follow you, which format is better: Reels or Tik Toks? Find out the results in this Hootsuite experiment!Â
Snapchat Eyes Marketers with Social Listening Tool to Track Trends: Snapchat Trends was recently unveiled, helping marketers seeking insights into topics that spur the most visible discussions among younger consumers -- such as the most popular trends from the past week and how often keywords are used in photo captions.
16 Social Media Mistakes Companies Make That Can Weaken Engagement: Generating true engagement with online consumers takes a considerable amount of effort and a thoughtful strategy. Leading industry experts discuss mistakes your company could be making that are leading to low engagement rates on social media.
Twitter tests Facebook-like tweet reactions, and this is my surprised face: Twitter announced the start of a limited test of emoji tweet reactions. The new feature grants users the ability to respond to tweets with a selection of at least five predetermined emoji in addition to the standard reply and quote tweet options.