With Social Media constantly evolving it can be hard to stay up-to-date! Our new social specific blog series will cover the latest developments in the space, with actionable advice for brands and marketers.
TikTok Watch History Feature
Accidentally refresh your TikTok feed when scrolling? Can’t find a video you recently viewed that you want to show someone? TikTok are solving these problems by letting users find previously watched videos with a watch history feature. It hasn’t been rolled out in all countries yet as TikTok are still running tests on the new feature.
Watch History should be accessible via the app’s settings and privacy menu — provided it’s been rolled out to your phone. It allows users to access up to 7 days of previously watched videos. You can disable at any time through the settings.
What does this mean for brands? It is very easy to lose your place on your FYP (For You Page). Whether it’s not realising how far back you need to scroll to find a particular video, or you accidentally refresh your feed. And because TikTok only stores videos you have interacted with and not viewed, it can be difficult to find something again. By simplifying watch history access, TikTok is increasing the chances that users will find and engage with your brands videos after seeing them in the FYP.
Instagram Product Tagging
Up until now it was only users with a creator or business account that could tag photos with links to products on a website. But Instagram has introduced a new feature that allows all users to tag product links to their content. To access this feature, you simply tag the product using the ‘Tag People’ button on Instagram. Other users will be able to see the product tags in your post and can tap them to make a purchase. Business owners receive a notification when a user tags one of their products. Posts with tagged products appear in a brand’s tagged tab on their profile.
What does this mean for brands? It creates greater brand visibility through organic and non-sponsored posts. It means that users genuinely enjoy your product(s) and are recommending to their followers. We can see this trend being very popular within the beauty and fashion industry but will not be limited to these. Instagram wants to make their platform one where brands can be discovered. With this possible change in consumer behaviour, in creating a seamless user experience on the app and it will be easier for brands to convert discovery into sales. Unfortunately, the feature is currently only available to US users but will be introduced to everyone over the next few months.
Pinterest announces several new shopping features
In a recent Pinterest Presents Summit, the company introduced some new in-app purchasing options for users and brands. A particularly interesting one is the ‘Your Shop’ feature, an in-app shopping feature that displays recommended brands and products tailored to the user’s taste. Pinterest is aiming to be a one stop shop for inspiration, brand discovery and online shopping. So, in order to streamline the purchase process, Pinterest has added an in-app checkout page for Shopify merchants. Again, it is currently only available for US Pinners (Pinterest users), but it is hoped to roll out across the rest of the world in the coming months.
What does this mean for brands? Pinners scroll through Pinterest for inspiration with purchase already in mind. Whether that be an outfit, home décor, recipes, or a makeup look, they are looking for an idea or inspiration before making a purchase. With this new update, it means users can make this purchase without even leaving the app.
Anyone can switch to a professional account on Twitter
Any user on Twitter now has the option to switch to a professional account. Before now people wishing to use Twitter for business had to submit an application to gain access.
To set one up, open your profile settings or swipe open the sidebar in the Home timeline. Go to Switch to Professional in your profile settings or Twitter for Professionals in the sidebar. Select Get Started then select a category for your professional account and click Next. Finally choose to set up your account as a business or creator.
What does this mean for brands? It allows all users to create ads, this can especially be advantageous for small businesses. Quickly promote tweets without Twitter’s ads manager using Quick Promote, for example. With Twitters upcoming feature, Twitter Shops, it will give all users the opportunity to take advantage of the additional benefits that comes with promoting products to a wider audience and in turn, driving sales from Twitter.
