We’re here to help you stay updated on the latest news and trends in social media and digital marketing. Check out what’s happening in the world of digital:
Twitter rolls out new Fleets feature
Perhaps the biggest news in social media this week is Twitter’s new Fleets feature, which is similar to Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and now LinkedIn stories. Unlike Tweets, which remain on a users’ profile, Fleets are for sharing momentary, fleeting thoughts—they disappear after 24 hours. Find Fleets at the top of your home timeline. You can Fleet original text, reactions to Tweets, photos, and videos. There’s also the option to add emojis, and Twitter says that stickers and live broadcasting will soon be available in Fleets, too.
For brands, Fleets can be another way to connect with audiences in a more casual manner. Twitter says they’ve found that some people feel more comfortable joining conversations on Twitter with this ephemeral format. Because Fleets offer the ability to share reactions to Tweets, this could also be an easy method for sharing positive brand mentions.
LinkedIn refunds advertisers for metrics glitch
LinkedIn is coming clean about a bug that caused the platform to overreport impressions and video views on ads. This glitch caused the platform to overcharge advertisers that were paying per impression or video view. Luckily, LinkedIn is owning up to its mistake and refunding advertisers for unnecessary charges.
Due to the glitch, many advertisers may have had incorrect metrics in previous reports. This is a great reason to set meaningful KPIs for digital campaigns. Impressions, video views, and clicks are often considered vanity metrics because they’re not always synonymous with campaign success. And, as LinkedIn’s recent blunder has revealed, these metrics can sometimes be prone to errors, as well as viewability issues. We generally recommend setting a campaign KPI to a site action/conversion, such as filling out a contact form. This way, impression and click metrics are less relevant, and campaign reporting is less susceptible to these issues.
Facebook offers new ad enhancements
Facebook now has a checkbox for “Additional Adjustments” when creating ads. By agreeing to this feature, the advertiser gives Facebook the ability to “enhance the media and text you upload on your behalf.” These minor enhancements are designed to boost your ad’s performance while still maintaining the core message of your ad campaign. The enhancements vary from user to user. For some, it may be adjusting the brightness or contrast of an image, but the feature references enhancements to text as well.
The downside of this feature is that advertisers will inevitably lose some control over the ad. For companies with strict brand regulations and approval processes, this feature likely could not be used. But for smaller organizations looking to make their ads as effective as possible, it could be worth experimenting with this feature. Facebook is constantly updating its self-serve ad platform, so we’re likely to continue seeing more optimization suggestions like this.
Do you have questions about any of these updates and how they could impact your business? Drop us a note or send us a message on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. Our digital media team is always happy to chat about strategies to help you achieve your marketing goals.
