Every month, we bring you the latest updates and changes on the most popular social media platforms. These platforms aren’t static and you need to know what’s happening on them so you can adjust your social media plan accordingly.
LinkedIn has added native video
One of the most talked about changes, LinkedIn will now allow you to add videos natively into the platform. While they are late to the game, they have officially entered it. We’ve seen how video has grown on Instagram and Facebook. Now we are waiting to see what this will mean for LinkedIn and if it will change engagement. The update hasn’t reached everyone yet, but presumably, it will be coming for everyone soon.
Facebook API is changing how links are shared
While we understand why Facebook is doing this, we aren’t terribly excited. In order to combat fake news, which everyone has been complaining about, Facebook has decided that if you are sharing a link you will no longer be able to change the link description, the meta description, or the image. It doesn’t matter if it’s a real-time post or a scheduled post, natively posted or by a third-party, Facebook is nixing the feature to cut down on misleading and false information.
The effort may in part be to cut down the spread of misinformation, but it does reward those who use Facebook’s Instant Article. If you share a lot of your own content, you may want to consider using them within Facebook or with notes.
Video cover images on Facebook
Pages now have the option of adding a video cover image. This is an excellent way of showcasing your business and really being able to give your audience a glimpse into what you do. Once again, this is telling of how important video is to these online platforms. The video doesn't have to be specific dimensions, you can upload a standard YouTube video. It will let you center it, what placeholder you want, and if someone wants to hear the sound, they can click the icon in the right-hand corner to listen.
These videos are also showing up in the search results and will loop itself. This makes your page stand out so much more than others that lack a video.
Reply to stories on Instagram
You are now able to reply with photos or videos on people's stories on Instagram. Replies can incorporate all the creative tools available in the camera, including filters, Boomerang, rewind, and stickers. It’s not a huge update, but it is a way for Instagram to get people to spend more time on the app and increase engagement on Stories. That is, after all, what most social media platforms want!
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