What’s New on Social Media: Top Tools for Spring 2021

Staying on top of all the updates and features on social media platforms is no easy feat. With an array of social media tools launched on a regular basis, it’s almost a full-time job just to keep tabs on all the options available for marketing your business. 

To make sure you don’t miss out on opportunities to push your business forward this spring, we’ve put together a list showcasing some of the newest social media tools you should know about.

If you’re using Promo, you are probably already creating great video content to boost your business.  We’re hoping this update will help you get that content out there and reach your target audience in the best possible way.

Instagram story drafts are coming

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Instagram announced in March that story drafts are coming soon. 

Ever since Instagram’s Stories feature was released, it’s become one of the most popular social media tools used by businesses. It’s also a top choice for SMBs looking for brand engagement and to market their business.

In fact, according to Instagram, over 500 million accounts use stories per day, and one-third of the most-viewed stories come from businesses. 

Whether you’re already taking advantage of Instagram Stories or you’re just starting out, this update will surely help make your Instagram marketing much more efficient. Instagram already allows users to create feed post drafts, which got a positive response from users . It’s no surprise that story drafts are up next. 

Soon, users will be able to create and save story drafts within Instagram ahead of time, view them as they will appear to users, and post them at the time of their choice.

This new update will enable you to pair story drafts with a social media calendar and plan ahead for important events and dates. This way, you’ll have everything prepped and ready to go when it comes time to post.

 Using a social media calendar can drastically improve your marketing, so this new social media tool (once it’s launched) will be a win-win. 

Pro-Tip: Instagram has also released an update that 60% of stories are watched with the sound on. That means that your Instagram story videos need to sound as good as they look. Luckily for you, we’ve recently updated our audio libraries with some amazing tracks. 

While there is no official release date, we will post an update on our Promo Instagram account when this feature is launched, so make sure to follow us and keep posted.  

TikTok is introducing auto captions

TikTok just introduced their new auto-captions feature, and we’re all for it. Auto captions are automatically generated subtitles that allow users to read the audio of a video instead of listening to it. Once a creator films their video, they can select auto-captions on TikTok’s editing page; their audio will then automatically transcribe and display on their videos.

The new auto-captions feature is designed to support every TikTok user, especially those who are deaf or hard of hearing. This new feature will ensure that TikTok is a place for everyone.

We love inclusive social media tools, and are excited to see how more and more companies are putting an emphasis on developing them. 

Pro-Tip: Creators can edit their captions once they’re generated and viewers have the option to turn them off at any time; all they need to do is open the ‘share’ panel, tap on the ‘captions’ button and select ‘off’.

Read more about TikTok’s auto-captions here.

Google launches video ad experiments to boost creative performance

Google has recently launched new Google Ad video experiments in order to test which video ads are most effective on YouTube. 

This new update means that businesses will be able to run several tests and experiments with their own video content to find out which type of creative works best for their business. 

In order to successfully use this latest feature on YouTube, you will need to start with a question or a hypothesis. For example, which video footage will your clients react to better? Are they more likely to make a purchase if you place a CTA at the beginning of the video or the end?  Do your customers respond better to larger or smaller text?

Once you run your test, you should expect to see results in a matter of weeks or even days. After that, you’ll have a better, more detailed understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

In turn, you’ll be able to measure the success of your video ads and understand the overall impact they have on your marketing efforts. These quick-to-deliver results are designed to inspire action and ensure you’re using the best creatives for your business.

Pro-Tip: It’s super easy to experiment with different video content if you have the right tools. If you’re trying to understand whether your customers respond better to videos with larger or smaller text, or different types of footage, you can easily duplicate and edit your videos in our Promo video editor to test which version performs best. Try it out for yourself!

Learn more about Google’s video experiments here. 

LinkedIn introduces new profile features

LinkedIn recently introduced some awesome new social media tools to help users create a more inclusive and expressive profile, and we’re super excited about it.

The first tool that LinkedIn is releasing is a Video Cover Story. LinkedIn Video Cover Stories will allow any user to introduce themselves to recruiters, hiring managers, new clients and even show off their workplace. If you run a business, the cover story will also be a great place to show it off and get it noticed. 

Once you add a video Cover Story to your profile, an orange ring will appear around your profile picture and users will be able to view it by clicking on your image. A preview of your video will automatically play without sound within your photo frame as well.

Pro-Tip: Editing your video cover story doesn’t need to be an expensive or time-consuming endeavor. With Promo.com you can easily create a professional LinkedIn cover story video that will be sure to get you noticed. 

LinkedIn also introduced an optional gender pronouns field at the top of users’ profiles. According to LinkedIn, approximately 70% of job seekers believe that recruiters and hiring managers should know their gender pronouns. 

Lastly, LinkedIn introduced its members to ‘Creator Mode’, a new way for creators to connect with their audience. ‘Creator Mode’, found in your profile dashboard, gives you the opportunity to showcase your activity and content in a whole new light. 

These new tools and updates will definitely help you if you’re looking to build a stronger LinkedIn presence. We can’t wait to see where this goes!

Get the full story from LinkedIn here.

Facebook is testing new video ad options

Facebook just announced that they are launching “a global test of In-Stream Video Topics that lets advertisers place ads in certain video topics through Ads Manager — allowing advertisers to align their brand messaging within content that is contextually relevant to their target consumer”.

Instead of only targeting audiences when deciding on where to promote your ads, you can now target specific video topics as well, giving your ad a greater chance to succeed.

For example, let’s say you own a local bakery. In addition to targeting the right people in your area, you can also make sure that your ad appears in relevant videos such as a baking tutorial. Cool huh?

But that’s not all! Facebook is also in the process of testing ads for Instagram Reels. This will be a really great way to advertise and promote your business in a more genuine way to potential customers.

Pro-tip: Now that you know who’s going to view your video ad and where they’re going to view it, you can really get creative with your content. Need a little inspiration? Check out our complete guide to Facebook advertising 

That’s a wrap!

Did you notice that all of these tools have one thing in common? Video.

Every single new feature that we highlighted revolves around video in one way or another. Coincidence? We think not.

Video marketing is imperative for growing your business and staying up to date with the latest marketing trends. So make sure you’re taking advantage of all that social media has to offer and stepping up your video marketing game.