In this month’s digital round-up, we’ve covered a lot of the hottest topics and updates from the digital world – from Twitter’s current state of uncertainty to Shopify’s new universal search feature testing – keep reading to stay up to date:
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New Ad Targeting Options Launched by Twitter
Even with all that is going on with Twitter at the moment, they have still managed to launch some new ad targeting options which include advanced website conversion optimisation.
Advertisers will now be able to target ad campaigns to users more inclined to complete a specific action rather than merely click on the ad. This will allow advertisers to focus campaigns on more precise actions such as:
- Provide contact details
- Subscribe
- Add-to-cart
- Purchase
Along with this targeting tweak, Twitter has also launched “Dynamic Product Ads” which allow advertisers to serve ads of feature products to users who have previously engaged with these on your website.
But not only this, Twitter has launched its updated “Collections Ads” format which consists of a primary hero image, with the ability for users to scroll horizontally through thumbnails of related product images.
New Business Search Functionality Launched by WhatsApp
The new business search feature was announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the first-ever WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil.
Engagement on social media has been shifting more towards messages with users sharing fewer updates on their social feeds and increasing private DM groups. This trend may lead to users being more open to engaging with brands in the same way.
This new feature has a dedicated element, where users can search for businesses which also contains a mini-map for nearby businesses. There are also filters by category and verified businesses to provide a boost to the in-app shopping experience.
The feature will be available in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and the UK to begin before further rollouts. Something to consider for any businesses that are keen to add WhatsApp as a means of connecting with their audience.
TikTok Launched New Audience Insights Tools
The launch of TikTok’s new Audience Insights in Ads manager will enable advertisers to explore specific demographic details about their audiences including interests and user behaviour.
TikTok’s Audience Insights filters are now listed at the left-hand side of the Ads Manager ‘Reporting’ section, with a range of categorisation options to choose from. Some of the filters available include Age, Gender, Device, and Interest Categories along with Video, Creator and Hashtag interactions.
The aim is to assist advertisers in better understanding their target audience while providing opportunities to discover new audiences beyond those that are traditionally targeted.
LinkedIn has Launched Native Post Scheduling
Yes, you read that correctly. Finally, the ability to schedule a post within LinkedIn.
Currently only available for some users, the rollout of LinkedIn’s native post-scheduling tool has started with desktop and Android with iOS coming soon. This will enable users to schedule text posts, videos and images up to three months in advance. The feature will also be rolled out for Groups, Company Pages and other content types.
The simple process allows users to schedule a post up to 90 days in advance by clicking the clock icon and entering a date and time.
While not exactly ground-breaking in functionality, it should prove to be a welcome addition to help maximise your presence.
Twitter users moving to Mastodon
One of the many destinations for the exodus of Twitter users is Mastodon. It’s a new platform with many challenges, especially for those who are over-reliant on paid traffic as Mastodon currently has no paid adverts. This forces brands that want to reach a social audience to put much more effort into building organic engagement. It’s harder work, but the results are likely to pay off significantly over the long term.
Also, there’s a new app, Movetodon, that allows users not only to migrate from Twitter but to curate the audience they want to take over by giving them greater control over the import process. This allows brands who are serious about engagement, not just raw numbers, to do some all-important house cleaning before landing on the new platform.
But, whichever platform you choose, focus on your audience first. Go where your audience is, and this will vary greatly depending on the niche they are in.
YouTube Shorts is Experimenting With Expanded Shopping Features
YouTube is adding new in app shopping features to its short-form video platform. Similar to that of social media rivals TikTok and Instagram, Shorts will allow users to make purchases as they scroll through their feeds.
It is currently anticipated to roll out in 2023, going first to the US, Canada, Australia, India and Brazil, with more countries being added if found successful. Creators will share 45% of ad revenue once the program launches.
This is the latest move from the video-sharing platform to become an ecommerce player, following the release of shoppable ads and livestream shopping, over the last couple of years.
As a result of decreased ad spending following the release of iOS 14.5, which allowed iPhone users to opt-out of tracking, and with fears of a recession, many social media platforms have been looking for new ways to monetize content.
As a largely uncharted territory, there has some been trial and error. Facebook ended its live shopping service earlier this year to put more emphasis on Reels, its short-from video service that directly competes with YouTube Shorts and TikTok. It kept Facebook Live but eliminated the ability for ecommerce merchants to tag products or create product playlists.
Universal Search: Shopify Testing Feature That Will Compete With Google.
Google may have a new shopping competitor on the horizon. Shopify is trialling a new feature in its app that allows customers to search across all merchants on the platform.
The new “Search for anything” search box allows you to search for items previously purchased, merchants matching the search term, and products sold by any Shopify merchants.
The new universal search feature could mean that Shopify retailers will need to start paying to appear first in search results or start planning their SEO strategy.
The test is rolling out to a limited number of users. There is no word on who will have access to the search feature, how long it will run, or if it will ever be released globally, but internal discussions are being had.
