December did not disappoint in bringing forth plenty of new ideas in the digital marketing industry. From new social media features to take advantage of, to major ongoing business affairs, these updates may help play a role in making decisions that affect your brand’s marketing strategy. Read on to stay up to date with just some of the latest highlights from the past month!
Social Media
Instagram Adds New Option to Embed User Profiles on Third-Party Websites
The option of embedding Instagram content into a website is not new; it’s been around for several years now. However, in the U.S., entire profiles are now able to be linked as opposed to only specific content, like an image or video. These embeds are a great way to visually showcase one’s Instagram presence and will likely be seen in media such as blogs and articles where a direct connection to a user’s page may be beneficial.
TikTok Tests PC Game Streaming App
To connect with a large audience of TikTok, the bite-size video platform is testing out a desktop streaming app which would allow users to livestream straight from a PC to TikTok Live. The app is focusing on adding a range of gaming elements, but these editing and control features may be luring for others who simply wish to broadcast a more professional stream by casting from desktop. So far, it is only available for a few thousand users across different Western countries.
YouTube Looks to Highlight Places Mentioned in Videos, Adds ‘Collections’ to Help Sort Subscriptions
Places Mentioned is YouTube’s new effort to aid users in finding any places mentioned within a video. Creators have had to add in the information involving places mentioned through text links up until now. This new feature looks to automatically include a visual link format within the video description box. The option of a better sorted channel subscriptions feed is expected to follow, which will be customizable to organize and discover sub content easier. To start is the Favorites collection, which is already present for those participating in the experiment, allowing users to view who they’ve recently watched and add/remove specific channels.
Facebook Tests New ‘Professional’ Mode for Creator Profiles
Set for limited testing in the U.S., Facebook’s new professional mode for profiles intends to provide insights and glean easy access to monetization features. Professional Mode for Profiles focuses on helping new creators who are not using professional pages and can be turned off at any time. Facebook also has unleashed updates for accounts using Creator Pages, such as a professional dashboard overview of performance stats, and a panel at the top of the feed summarizing engagement as well as sharing content tips. In addition, the ability to schedule and cross-post into a group from the main composer window is currently being tested.
Industry News
Microsoft Bing’s Shopify Integration Now Live With Buy Now
As announced in October, the partnership between Microsoft Bing and Shopify is finally live. Products can now easily show up in Bing product ads as well as listings on the Microsoft Start and Bing shopping tabs. In the Bing search results, clicking the “Buy Now” button on a product listing will directly take a user to a merchant’s checkout page of their Shopify website. Merchants can easily take part in this integration in Shopify by connecting to the Microsoft Channel.
CES 2022 In-Person Exhibitor List Continues to Shrink
With the most influential tech event taking place in Las Vegas from January 5th through the 8th, more companies cancel appearances for the in-person CES trade show over coronavirus spread concerns. Amazon, Twitter, and Meta all announced they would not be physically attending, right before Christmas. More large firms such as Google, Intel, and Microsoft have followed suit. While many companies have reported pulling out, many are still planning on joining the show through virtual means.