The world of digital marketing is ever evolving and this month was no exception as major platforms continued to reshape the digital landscape. In this blog, we’ll explore the key social media updates, shedding light on the latest features and noteworthy digital marketing insights from October!
Social Media Updates
Instagram Launches Collaborative Carousel Posting
Instagram has officially begun a live test of its Collaborative Posts feature, allowing users to invite others to contribute photos or videos to their carousel feed posts. The original post creator has the authority to accept or reject submissions, and the post only appears on their timeline, not on contributors’ profiles. The feature aims to enhance engagement and interaction in-stream, reflecting Instagram’s broader focus on collaborative posting options and fostering intimate group interactions. This feature aligns with the trend of users seeking more personal engagement rather than seeking maximum reach through public posts, providing Instagram with valuable insights into users’ close connections.
Meta Tests Customizable AI Chat Bots
Meta is developing a feature that would allow users to create their own AI chatbots on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and IG Direct. This new development would provide customization options for users, including selecting the chatbot’s gender, conversation style, and interests, and even uploading a profile image for the AI character. This feature resembles the concept seen in the movie “Her,” where a character forms a meaningful relationship with an AI persona. While that might not be Meta’s primary aim, it’s likely that some users will explore this creative and personal aspect of AI chatbots.
Threads has rolled out several new features, including an edit feature and Voice Threads. Users can now edit their posts within five minutes of publishing, and edited posts will display a revision icon next to the timestamp. Unlike its competitor X (formerly Twitter), Meta does not require a subscription fee for this editing capability. However, Threads lacks an edit history feature, which X has. Additionally, Voice Threads allows users to create voice posts on the iOS app, where they can record their voice and have the text of their speech highlighted as it plays in the post. Meta continues to enhance Threads with various features, such as a chronological following feed, a web client, and search options, following its launch earlier this year.
X Works on Developing New Creator Tools
X is exploring new video features such as game streaming and live shopping to expand its platform’s offerings. While X has yet to provide full-featured creator tools, it is actively pursuing creators and video features to attract more users. Additionally, the platform is partnering with Paris Hilton to produce original video content with live-shopping features.
Industry News
Amazon Ad Suite Rolls Out New Features for Marketers
Amazon has unveiled several advertising products at its UnBoxed conference, including a data clean room designed for publishers, and a generative AI solution for enhancing campaign assets. They are also introducing new campaign management features to Amazon DSP, Amazon Marketing Cloud, and the Amazon Ads API. The generative AI offering includes an image generator in beta that quickly creates background images for brands to place their products in a lifestyle context. The Amazon Publisher Cloud is a significant development, allowing publishers to blend their first-party data with Amazon’s to plan programmatic campaigns, providing a more personalized and effective approach to reaching target audiences. This new feature aims to enhance the advertising capabilities of Amazon’s platform, making it more accessible and impactful for brands of all sizes.
New Insight About Digital Advertisements
According to a recent survey of 1,000 digitally active shoppers, 70% of respondents believe advertisers do not respect their digital experience, and 95% say their content consumption is disrupted by intrusive ads. About 92% feel that ads are becoming increasingly intrusive. Such disruptive ad experiences not only frustrate consumers but also lead to lower engagement and conversion rates, diminishing the effectiveness of ads and reducing marketing ROI and ROAS. The research revealed that 91% of shoppers would not make purchases from brands that serve intrusive ads. Additionally, another study found that 99% of Gen Z consumers frequently skip intrusive ads, and 63% of online shoppers use ad blockers to avoid online advertisements entirely. This insight allows digital advertisers to rethink how advertisements are being delivered and prioritize a user-first experience when targeting consumers.
Looking to leverage these current trends to improve your brand’s digital footprint? Contact our team of marketing experts to discuss a comprehensive strategy to meet your goals every month of the year!