Digital Roundup – February 2025

SocialB Digital Marketing Blog Last modified: 03 Feb 2025 by Hannah Moody
Digital Roundup

Welcome to this month’s digital roundup! Each month, we bring you the latest platform developments that are crucial for your marketing strategies. This month’s headlines feature everything from TikTok’s turbulence in the U.S. to exciting feature launches across Instagram, YouTube, and beyond. 

TikTok vs the Supreme Court & the Aftermath 

TikTok made headlines this January after going dark for half a day in the U.S., stirring anxiety among creators and marketers. This downtime has caused many changes to the social media landscape. 

  • Many US users began migrating to RedNote, another Chinese-originated app. RedNote blends TikTok’s short video style with Instagram’s aesthetic. 
  • Meta is reportedly enticing TikTok creators with over one million followers by offering between $2,500 and $50,000 per month to share exclusive content on Instagram for three months.
  • X (formerly Twitter) is expanding its dedicated vertical feed globally, following its recent U.S. launch.
  • BlueSky also launched vertical feeds.
  • Substack is investing $20 million in a “creator accelerator fund” to attract TikTokers, assuring them they won’t lose revenue when transitioning their paid-subscription audience to Substack.

TikTok Platform Updates 

Despite TikTok fighting to remain in the US market, they also launched and tested new features on the app.

  • 2025 marketing calendar: TikTok has launched a 2025 marketing calendar helping content creators ensure they never miss a significant date. They are providing region-specific key dates for North America, Europe, the Middle East, and more.
  • GMV Max: Tiktok has launched an automated ad campaign tool for UK retailers, featuring audience targeting, bidding, and creative selection.
  • Multiple Songs per Post: Creators can now experiment with layering audio for dynamic storytelling.
  • Enhanced Search: TikTok is testing a “Trending Search” box showing related terms and adding thumbnails to search suggestions.
  • Secrets to Going Viral: Influencers shared previously hidden tricks for achieving viral traction, sparking mixed reactions before the potential ban.

Instagram Platform Updates

Instagram is doubling down on its mission to foster creativity and connection, unveiling a series of updates to enhance user experience and creative expression.

  • Reel Expansion: U.S. users can now create Reels up to three minutes long, increasing flexibility for storytelling and content.
  • Video Editing Revolution: The launch of “Edits,” Instagram’s advanced editing tool (a CapCut competitor), is set for March 13th.
  • A Spotify Update for Instagram: Spotify is testing a feature that allows users to share video snippets from podcasts directly to Instagram Stories, boosting podcast discovery and cross-platform engagement.
  • Profile and Engagement Enhancements:
    • Highlights are moving to a dedicated tab.
    • Friends can see which Reels you’ve liked, adding a personal touch.
    • A vertical profile grid lets users realign posts for a sleeker aesthetic.
    • Users can now post directly to their profile grid, bypassing the feed.
    • Testing a feature to dislike comments.

Alongside platform updates, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has been actively sharing a short video series explaining the Instagram algorithm. 

Essential factors for making content eligible:

  • Avoid watermarks
  • Add audio, particularly for photos and carousels
  • Keep videos under three minutes
  • Post original content
  • Check your Account Status in profile settings to ensure good standing

Instagram Stories ranking, the most important signals include:

  • The likelihood a user will tap on the story
  • The likelihood a user will like the story
  • The likelihood a user will reply with a message

Key insights into its Reels algorithm, 

  • Watch time
  • Likes are particularly significant in connected content
  • Sends are more crucial for unconnected content.

More Meta Platform Updates

  • Threads Advertising: Meta, as always, is prioritising monetisation. Ads are being tested on Threads, tapping into its 300M monthly active users.
  • Facebook Fact-Checkers Removed: Meta switched to a “community notes” model similar to X (formerly Twitter).
  • Facebook Enhancements:
    • Affiliate links are being integrated into Reels.
    • Product links are now more prominent in photo and text posts, streamlining the shopping experience.

YouTube Platform Updates

YouTube is investing heavily on short-form and snackable content, despite the platform running ads across Meta promoting the pros of long-form video content. Some of their updates for the platform include:

  • Three-Minute Shorts: Expanded globally, giving creators more room to deliver compelling narratives.
  • New Clipping Tool: A tool to instantly clip segments from long-form videos and publish them as standalone 16:9 content is under testing, streamlining content repurposing.

SEO Updates and Insights

This year started rocky for Google, with the UK’s CMA investigating the company after U.S. regulators labelled it a “search monopoly.” Not only are they facing some legal trouble but their global search market share dropped below 90% for the first time since 2015.

SEO-Related Updates:

  • JavaScript Requirements: Google’s dependency on JavaScript has raised operational costs for SEO tools.
  • Review Guidelines: Only ratings with written reviews and reviewer names are now eligible for rich snippets.
  • Search Console Upgrades:
    • Data export from the 24-hour view is now available for granular analysis.
    • The “Validate Fix” option can expedite crawling for specific issues.
  • Restaurant-Friendly Updates: A new Google Business Profile feature enables restaurants to update menu items without replacing the entire menu—a welcome improvement for busy owners.

Stay Up To Date With Marketing

Digital marketing is ever-evolving, with new social media channels, new forms of searching for content and updates to algorithms and consumer changes. It’s important to stay up to date with the latest information to ensure your marketing is moving towards hitting your goals and targets.

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