Top 5 Social Media News You Can't Miss This Week

 

1. TikTok is looking to extend its video length to 3 minutes.

Are 15 to 60 seconds (stringing four 15-second segments together) too little? I have run ads and pitch entire businesses in 25 second's videos. Well, it seems that for some it is too little, but aren't 3 minutes too long? I think so. When was the last time you watched anything that wasn't an educational video for 3 minutes? Can you imagine to watch a TikTok video for 3 minutes? I hope we all have better to do than that.

TikTok is rolling out the ability to upload videos of up to 3 minutes, a huge increase from their current time limit of 60 seconds (stringing four 15-second segments together). This rollout is yet to come for most of us as the app has currently given early access to only a few users.

2. Snapchat launches a TikTok-like function called Spotlight.

Introducing Spotlight 🔦

The best of Snapchat. Sit back and take it all in, or submit your video Snaps and you could earn a share of more than $1,000,000 a day. Happy Snapping!https://t.co/U7eG7VNJqk pic.twitter.com/mxGWuDSdQk

— Snapchat (@Snapchat) November 23, 2020

Social Networks nowadays are fighting for their market share by copying each other functionalities. Is this the right strategy to fight for users?

As a user nowadays, all you see is that most of them offer almost the same things so why bother having many accounts if a couple of them will do pretty much everything the others do.

Or the other approaches they follow is buying the competition, this is something Facebook has been accused of to the point that they were almost forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Read more about this and see Zuckerberg's face in this article.

Facebook’s actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition,” said Ian Conner, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, in a statement. “Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition so that innovation and free competition can thrive.”

In a statement, Jennifer Newstead, Facebook's vice president and general counsel, called the lawsuits' allegations "revisionist history."

"Instagram and WhatsApp became the incredible products they are today because Facebook invested billions of dollars, and years of innovation and expertise, to develop new features and better experiences for the millions who enjoy those products," she said. "The most important fact in this case, which the Commission does not mention in its 53-page complaint, is that it cleared these acquisitions years ago. The government now wants a do-over, sending a chilling warning to American business that no sale is ever final."

So what about Snapchat? Snapchat has introduced a new option in the app to create short video clips TikTok like, that lets users (both public and private accounts) create and submit their videos directly to the ‘Spotlight feed’. Snapchat also added that the best video clips stand a chance to earn a share of more than $1 million that they’re distributing to creators every day! And if you’re not too keen on creating short video clips, you can always just sit back and watch the ones that appear on the Spotlight feed.

3. TikTok launches a holiday tool kit for SMBs.

The holidays are approaching and many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly relying on social media marketing in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

A social network that should not be missing this year is TikTok. Because the short video app is like that more successful than ever before and is still seeing a significant increase in users. Now TikTok would like to help SMEs with their marketing planning for the holiday season and published the so-called Holiday Playbook. With the help of the guide, SMEs should better understand how advertising on TikTok works and how they can use the app effectively for themselves.

4. YouTube introduces audio ads.

In YouTube’s own words, “To help you tailor your media and creative approach to the different ways consumers are engaging with YouTube, we’re introducing audio ads, our first ad format designed to connect your brand with audiences in engaged and ambient listening on YouTube. Audio ads, currently in beta, help you efficiently expand reach and grow brand awareness with audio-based creative and the same measurement, audience, and brand safety features as your video campaigns.” Another brilliant opportunity for brands to advertise to their target audience!

We can't ignore the fact that we all (every generation) has got used to ads in the middle of a song or a podcast, on the radio, on Spotify and SoundCloud.

And just as many businesses spend thousands in radio ads that have such limited reach comparing with the channels mentioned above, so what wouldn't you consider Audio Ads on YouTube?

For more information about YouTube audio ads, you can visit You Tube Audio Ads

5. Twitter launches Fleets, tests social audio feature

On Tuesday, 17 November 2020 fleets were launch but not all across the world, that may take some time.

Twitter said, ““We are going to launch this first experiment of spaces to a very small group of people — a group of people who are disproportionately impacted by abuse and harm on the platform: women and those from marginalized backgrounds,” TechCrunch reported. 

“You can Fleet text, reactions to Tweets, photos or videos and customize your Fleets with various background and text options,” Twitter explained.

Now, any mobile Twitter user, regardless of where they live or what platform they’re on, will have access to the disappearing messaging feature, which will sit right at the top of the timeline in a row of Stories-like bubbles.

Twitter hopes the new feature will help reduce the pressure around tweeting by letting users express more casual thoughts and feelings while also concerning themselves less with saying something profound or racking up likes and retweets. 

Fleets start rolling out today on Android and iOS and should be available for everyone in the coming days, the company says. 

That thing you didn’t Tweet but wanted to but didn’t but got so close but then were like nah.

We have a place for that now—Fleets!

Rolling out to everyone starting today. pic.twitter.com/auQAHXZMfH

— Twitter (@Twitter) November 17, 2020

Mili Ponce

Keynote Speaker on Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Social Media Strategist, Trainer, Writer, Blogger, Mother, Daughter, Dreamer.

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