Social media is an ever-evolving world. The updates are constant and, frankly, can be hard to keep up with.
Here are 5 updates rolling out for Meta and LinkedIn that will impact how you think about your social media strategy.
- Instagram is testing Reels trending ads
This option will allow ads to be attached to trending videos on Reels. These ads will be placed immediately after the most popular and engaging reels made by creators. The advertiser will have the option to choose to be featured after generally top-performing content, or they can pick a specific category, like beauty or sports, to be attached to.
- Meta is bringing video ads to Threads
Meta has stated that soon, a small number of advertisers will have the chance to test 16:9 or 1:1 video ads to appear in between pieces of organic content in the Threads feed. This comes as no surprise since the company has been heavily leaning into short-form video content, and with a whopping 350 million monthly active users, there is a lot of opportunity here to reach a wide range of audiences.
- Instagram is rolling out Trends in Instagram’s Creator Marketplace
Meta is also testing a new feature within Instagram’s Creator Marketplace called Trends. The feature uses AI to discover real-time trends on Reels, connecting advertisers with creators and content that can inspire their campaigns.
- Meta is rolling out Video Expansion on Facebook Reels
Wave goodbye to the time you spent doing manual video cropping. The Video Expansion tool will utilize AI to automatically resize video aspect ratios by generating unseen pixels, optimizing general clips to Reel size. While this could prove to be incredibly useful to small businesses and nimble teams, word to the wise: keep a close eye on it. At VI, we always like to maintain creative control of our assets and would recommend filming vertically with social in mind rather than using AI to resize.
- LinkedIn launches B2B creator-led video shows with BrandLink
LinkedIn is going all-in on video content. Because a staggering 71% of B2B buyers are now millennials or Gen Z, LinkedIn’s newly revamped program, BrandLink, will let advertisers run ads alongside creator-made content from the likes of Rebecca Minkoff, Steven Bartlett, Gary Vaynerchuk and more.
What does all this mean for your brand? Well, that depends on your objectives, audience and industry. For more in-depth recommendations on how to optimize your social media strategy to the latest trends, reach out to VI. Our team of social experts would love to help!
