Social Media platforms do not remain static, and Facebook and Instagram recent updates are the norms that demonstrate how they shift and evolve. As marketers and business owners, we need to adapt to the changes. Today I will cover some recent Facebook and Instagram updates and share some important data for you to know! Let’s go!
Small Business Tools on Facebook
Do you struggle to find the time to focus on your business’s marketing strategy? Don’t let time or resources stop you from creating ads that will drive results. Facebook has a tool called “Automated Ads” that can help you create effective ads to run on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. The goal is to help you come up with your own personalized marketing plan. To do this they will ask you some questions about your business and goals, and then create a plan for you.
Why It Matters
To grow your business, Facebook Ads are a cost-effective way to advertise your business. Facebook’s tool, Automated Ads, has helpful features like creating multiple versions of your ad, tailored audience suggestions, a recommended budget that generates results, and timely notifications about your ads. If your a small business that needs suggestions for your ads, this might be the tool for you!
Video is vital for engaging with your audience on social media platforms. Last year, Facebook launched the Video Creation Kit to provide a tool that is easy to create compelling video ads by converting images and text into engaging videos. Now, Facebook recently announced new ways that you can customize, automate, and improve your workflow in the Video Creation Kit.
Why It Matters
Facebook’s Video Creation Kit is a tool businesses can utilize if they have limited time or are beginning with creating video content. The Video Creation Kit allows you to optimize your video for different ratios, turns on video into multiple, has templates you can use, different font options, gives you the option to save videos as drafts, and even add a sticker to your video! If you haven’t started using video in your ads marketing strategy, it is time to start and the Video Creation Kit can help you do that.
Branded Content Ads on Instagram
On June 4th, it was announced that advertisers now have the ability to promote creators’ organic branded content posts as feed ads. By utilizing branded content ads, businesses will be able to expand their impact beyond the people who follow the brand and creator accounts.
Why It Matters
With over 68% of people saying they come to Instagram to interact with creators, there is a great opportunity here for businesses to make an even larger impact! So far branded content ads will be available for feed to all advertisers in the next few weeks, while it is said that they will be available on stories within the next few months.
For step-by-step instructions go HERE.
Changes in Time Spent on Facebook and Instagram
As Facebook has been focusing on downranking clickbait posts and with a continued loss of younger adults, it has significantly impacted engagement on the platform. Facebook’s average daily time spent on the platform has decreased by 3 minutes in 2018. This outlook is much different for Instagram. Instagram has seen the average time spent on the platform increase. The average time spent is expected to increase for Instagram, while Facebook will stay the same or slightly decrease.
Why It Matters
It is important to know the trends and usage from people on the platforms so you can be better aware where you should focus more of your attention to your target audience. See more stats about Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat usage HERE.
That’s a wrap for the social media updates this week! See you again in two weeks!
Want to meet in person? Join me at Social Media Week Lima, June 18-19, in Lima, Ohio, for a great conference on using social media for business. I have a panel and a table presentation at the event. Learn more here.
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