Social media is evolving and each month brings new trends and platform updates that impact how business owners and content creators engage with their audiences. Here’s a look at what’s new this month.
Facebook changes to fact checkers
Meta is replacing the “fact checking” program on Facebook and Instagram with a new system similar to “Community Notes” on X. This will ideally allow users to add input on posts that need additional context or are otherwise misleading. The “Community Notes” style of editing should help overcome biases and (more blatantly, censorship issues) on popular social media platforms.
Instagram says to avoid watermarks
In a recent Reel by Adam Mosseri, 5 tips for Instagram Reels included avoiding the use of watermarks for they will have negative impacts on your reach.
Also, even though Instagram now supports longer Reels, he suggested to keep Reels under 3 minutes long.
Here is the Reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFIWSVoy1UQ/
As you probably know, Reels and Carousels are the preferred content type as each one will (should) give you better reach than single posts.
Is Pinterest Getting Popular Again?
Pinterest has reached a new high of 553 million monthly users as of Q4, according to Social Media Today.
One of the good things about Pinterest is that your pins remain valuable over time (so something you pinned 3 years ago can be just as valuable as something you pinned today). By contrast, most social media platforms have a post lifespan, ranging from a few minutes to days or years (which is the argument for more blog posts and YouTube Videos).
Meta Advantage+ Audience
Meta Ads’ Advantage+ audience has shown improvements in targeting (according to Meta), which can mean lower cost to product sales and website conversions, and of course lower cost per click or landing page view.
I’m still a little shy about letting the machine do all the work for me but I am becoming a bit more of a human clip board thanks to ChatGPT.
Chris’ Social Media Tip
Look back at how many times you posted in January. Was it enough? Were they good posts?
I suggest picking a number that is easy for you to work with, like 2-3 times a week (even if it’s a little lower than the typical consensus on how often you should post), and aim for consistency. I’ve been doing this myself (focused on Reels about 1-3x per week on Instagram) and seeing some good results so far.
Remember to try not to be overwhelmed by having to post, and instead trying to enjoy the process—let’s make social media fun again!