Top Social Media Updates You Need to Know: March 2021
The birds are chirping, the trees are swinging and the snow is finally melting. Daylight savings is two days away and spring is officially around the corner. As the seasons continue to change, social media platforms have continued to release their own share of updates with a focus on eCommerce opportunities. Whether you’re looking to grow on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, or even Twitter, we’ve got the latest updates for you to make it happen. Here’s the latest news in the world of social media this March.
Social Media Updates
New Monetization Options for Creators
It’s 2021 and video is still not going anywhere. Facebook recently announced new monetization options for creators, with a focus on short video clips. Creators are now able to make money from videos as short as one minute long with an ad running at 30 seconds.
As explained by Facebook,
“For videos three minutes or longer, an ad can be shown 45 seconds in. Previously only three-minute or longer videos could monetize with in-stream ads, with an ad shown no earlier than 1 minute.”
If you’re creating 30-second clips for TikTok and Reels, it might be worth considering expanding to Facebook videos as a way to diversify your reach and generate an extra source of income.
New Marketing Tools, Including “Pinterest Premiere” Video Ads
Pinterest held their first-ever “Pinterest Presents” summit on March 3rd where they announced a number of new ad tools. Starting with a new video ad option called ‘Pinterest Premiere,’ this feature will enable advertisers to purchase exclusive video placement in the home feed for a specific demographic, interest or category for a designated time frame.
According to Pinterest, “Pinterest Premiere gives you the option to align video ad targeting with either a specific demographic or a specific category (combining demographics and interests). These packages are set up to help you drive broader reach and scale for moments like launches, brand events or even ongoing campaigns.”
Another Pinterest update includes its interactive trends tool, called Pinterest Trends, which will now provide more specific insights into engagement behaviors across the platform.
Pinterest Trends will provide users with an overview of broader usage trends and shifts. For example, did you know that usage among Gen Z and male Pinners has increased 40% over the past year?
Lastly, Pinterest is expanding the rollout of its Conversion Insights more broadly. This enables advertisers to view both promoted and organic Pin metrics in a single report.
New Shopping Experiment – ‘Shop’ CTA Button
With every social media platform expanding their eCommerce offerings in the past year, it’s no surprise that Twitter joined in on the fun with new shopping experiments. A new eCommerce Twitter card is in the works, with a large ‘Shop’ CTA button, linking through to a transaction page.
As seen above, the new card includes a product title and code, along with a ‘Shop’ button. The card can also list a product price, with the displayed information sourced from the relevant product page on the businesses’ site. It will be interesting to see how advertisers can take advantage of Twitter’s eCommerce tools as they open up new opportunities. Stay tuned for more updates to come!
Instagram/Facebook
New Shopify Integration with Facebook and Instagram Shops
A new payment option is underway and it’s Shopify’s new integration with Facebook. This update will enable Shopify users to purchase items through the ‘Shopify Pay’ payment system when buying on Facebook and Instagram Shops.
What makes Shopify’s payment option different? Shop way is an accelerated checkout solution, enabling Shopify customers to save information like their email address, credit card, shipping and billing information in the app so that they can complete their transactions faster with Shopify checkout.
This integration could also provide a massive opportunity for more retailers to create their Facebook and Instagram shops. According to Shopify, checkout on Shop Pay is 70% faster than a typical checkout, while it also sees a 1.72x higher conversion rate.
As explained by Shopify, “For merchants, this means fewer abandoned carts and increased conversion. For consumers, this means a one-click checkout that remembers and encrypts their important details including billing and shipping information, leading to more time shopping and less time filling out forms.” Happy selling!
TikTok
Self-Serve Ad Platform Now Available Canada-wide
TikTok’s self-serve ad platform is now available to all businesses in Canada! TikTok announced their global expansion in July last year, with some available to Canadian businesses but now all brands can run campaigns through the platform. TikTok’s self-serve platform resembles other social networks in its look and feel which will feel familiar to social media managers who’ve run campaigns in the past.
TikTok also notes that it’s making its Shopify channel available for merchants in Canada in addition to the U.S.
According to TikTok, “The channel will help Shopify’s merchants across the country create and run campaigns directly geared toward TikTok’s highly engaged community. Through this partnership, we’re making it easier for Shopify merchants to tap into the creativity of the TikTok community, be discovered, and optimize their marketing campaigns.”If you’re new to TikTok or want to scale the success of your campaign, you can get started here.
Quick Recap (Social Media Updates):
- Facebook: New Monetization Options for Creators
- Pinterest: New Marketing Tools, Including “Pinterest Premiere” Video Ads
- Twitter: New Shopping Experiment – ‘Shop’ CTA Button
- Instagram/Facebook: New Shopify Integration with Facebook and Instagram Shops
- TikTok: Self-Serve Ad Platform Now Available Canada-wide
Tune in next month for another round of social media updates!
If you are looking to improve your social media results or have questions regarding the latest platform updates, we’d love to chat!
The post Top Social Media Updates You Need to Know: March 2021 appeared first on AdParlor.