🚀Instagram’s Carousel Recommendations, X’s Battle with Bluesky and LinkedIn’s Ad Updates
Welcome to Prosek’s Digital Download: where industry-leading insights in financial services and digital marketing collide.
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It’s Halloween, and this week’s Digital Download is only handing out treats, no tricks! We’ve unearthed some monstrous updates to help you carve out your digital marketing approach: Instagram’s Head is recommending carousel posts, Bluesky is growing in popularity as more users leave X and LinkedIn has new updates to Live Event Ads and the Accelerate campaign creator.
Keep reading for some digital marketing updates that you can really sink your teeth into! 🧛
3 Can’t-Miss Digital Updates
Social Media and Advertising
IG Chief Recommends Posting Carousels to Improve Reach
What's happening: Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri recently suggested that Instagram users looking to further the reach of their content should post more carousels. Mosseri explained that carousels have multiple pieces of media for people to interact with, and an increase of interactions often means an increased amount of reach. Additionally, he noted that the Instagram algorithm often prioritizes carousel posts, so even if users don’t interact with a carousel the first time around, Instagram will show it a second time on a different slide in an effort to increase interaction.
Why it matters: Carousel content is a great way for marketers to get more eyes on their content, especially if the Instagram algorithm is prioritizing them. Mosseri’s point about more media in a carousel meaning more clicks and engagement also applies outside of Instagram, such as on LinkedIn. Marketers looking for an effective way to expand the reach and increase the engagement rates of their content should test carousels to determine their effectiveness.
People are Flocking to Bluesky as X Makes More Unwanted Changes
What's happening: Bluesky announced that it added 50,000 users in a single day last week, which may correlate with recently announced changes from X. The changes include an update to the blocking feature, which will now allow previously blocked users to view posts by the person who blocked them. Another controversial update is a change to X’s terms and services, which as of November 15th, will have users agree to have their data used for machine and AI learning.
Why it matters: The continued changes introduced by Elon Musk have deterred some users. While platforms like Bluesky and Threads stand to gain in popularity due to these changes, X remains a popular platform with worthwhile ROI for many brands. Still, marketers should be aware of how different social platforms evolve to ensure their brands are showing up in the right places.
LinkedIn Announces Updates to Event Ads and AI Campaign Options
What's happening: LinkedIn announced that it’s introducing new ad options for its Live Event Ads and expanding its Accelerate automated campaign creation experience. Updates to Live Event Ads include a new option to promote members’ posts about the live event from a company page, the ability to share a sneak peak of a live broadcast, increased targeting options and the expansion of in-stream video ads alongside content. Accelerate, which uses AI to automate the ad campaign creation process, will now incorporate more ad types for marketers to use, including videos and documents.
Why it matters: Expanded ad options means that advertisers now have more ways to get creative on LinkedIn. The new livestream sneak peek and in-stream video ads options are especially timely given the increasing popularity of video content, allowing marketers to further the reach of their ad content. Finally, the updates to Accelerate are just a small part of the larger trend of AI in advertising. While its usage in creating advertising campaigns can help brands who are new to marketing and need assistance in creating campaigns, AI may overlook certain details of advertising, such as niche audience targets. It’s crucial for advertisers to find the right balance of working with AI and using their human skillset as the tool becomes more and more common in the marketing world.
Good Reads
Marketing Inspiration
Mary Mock, Senior Vice President and Head of Distribution at Touchstone Investments, reflected on one of her favorite ways to connect and build relationships with clients: through fly fishing. Mary’s personal reflection weaves together her own history with the sport with her love of sales, offering users an authentic look into Mary’s life and career.
Invesco shared a post for its Break Time series, which uses video to promote short and digestible facts or spotlight employees. This edition of the series highlighted Senior Client Portfolio Manager Gerald Evelyn as he offered insights into how he explains his job to those in his personal life.
Brightstar Capital Partners recapped its offsite in a post that celebrates its team’s efforts and accomplishments. The post features the offsite’s overarching theme and how the Brightstar team is integral to the overall company’s mission in value creation.
