August Social Media Digest

August saw some interesting stories emerge from the world of social, including Threads’ continued fight to stay relevant, a cool new ad feature on TikTok, Google allowing businesses to add social media links to their Business Profiles and Elon Musk sharing his ambitious, long-term vision for Twitter/X. So, continue reading to check out some of the stories that caught our attention from the past month!?

Elon Musk Aims to Turn Twitter/X into an ‘Everything App’

In early August, Twitter/X CEO Elon Musk shared his rationale behind his decision to rebrand Twitter into “X”, saying it is part of a broader effort to recast the social media platform into a so-called “everything app” and claimed the bird branding did not fit that goal.

An everything app, also known as a “super app,” provides a wide range of features – from social networking to online shopping and financial services. Essentially it’s a fusion of many apps you may often use, like Instagram, Uber, WhatsApp and PayPal.

So where does that leave X?

The app has a long way to go before it becomes an everything app, and Musk’s many changes to the platform already have users jumping ship?in search of a Twitter substitute. But, whether it’s X or not, there appears to be room in the U.S. for an everything app to move in.

Smarty’s take:??Although ambitious, Musk’s idea is not a crazy one. Several so-called “super apps” have long existed in Asia, with more than a billion Chinese citizens using QR codes to do a number of things, from buying groceries to booking medical appointments.?

While this kind of app could open an entirely new world of advertising possibilities, we’re likely still a long way off from seeing the type of "super app"?many Asians are familiar with in the North American market. For now, we’re still looking at Twitter/X as a platform struggling to retain advertisers and keep users active/engaged. We’re seeing users, attention and dollars shifting to platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram, while clients want to steer clear from the chaos on X. As such, we’re directing our clients to “watch and wait” and invest their social media efforts elsewhere for the time being. ?

Shake up your Digital Marketing with this New Ad Format by TikTok?

Back in April, TikTok announced a slew of new add-ons to help brands build more engaging ads on their platform. In August, TikTok announced the newest add-on that they’re hoping will further drive brand engagement and encourage interactions to ads surfaced on their platform.

Shake Surprise is a new feature that prompts users to shake their phones to lead them to exciting brand landing pages. The thought behind this new feature is that it will lead to greater user engagement and content interactions, while also creating a fun, new way for users to have ads surfaced natively on the platform.

Smarty’s take:?Any efforts by social platforms to increase the way audiences find and engage with ads are always helpful for digital marketers. It’s unlikely that this new add-on will significantly shake up (sorry) the e-commerce landscape, but it’s a fun and creative way that brands’ could take advantage of in a landscape overrun with the typical, one-directional display ads.?

Google Lets Businesses Add Social Media Links To Profiles

Last week, Google announced that brands will now be able to add their social media channels (including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter/X and YouTube) to their Google Business Profile. This new option enables companies to showcase their social media presence alongside other information in Google Search and Maps, as well as elevate their reach.?

The ability to add social media links provides another way for business owners to optimize their presence across Google’s ecosystem, while providing an additional way for users researching brands to organically discover social channels that may be of interest to them.?

Google has stated that this new feature is being rolled out gradually and is available only in specific regions, and for now, appears to be available in the US. Click here to check out Google’s dedicated support page for this new feature.?

Smarty’s take: It seems crazy to think that it took until August 2023 for Google to allow social media channels to be added to a Google Business profile, but we’re thrilled this feature is finally available. We are constantly thinking about the importance of “Social SEO” and this seals the deal. Most consumers expect to see social channels displayed alongside websites and other digital contact options, so for us, this decision is a no-brainer. The only downside we've found thus far, is that Google does not provide performance metrics (such as click-thru rates) for social platforms linked to your business page.

How to turn Long-Form Videos into Engaging Snippets for Social Media

It’s no secret - creating content (especially high-quality video content) takes A LOT?of time. And that’s one resource you can’t make more of. So figuring out how to work smarter, not harder, is a valuable tool when it comes to social media marketing.?

Enter: Repurposing long-form video content.?

By sharing bite-sized clips from your discussion panels, thought leadership posts, webinars or YouTube channels to other social platforms, you’re driving social media users to check out the full-length original video, increasing your views, subscribers and engagement.?

This easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for how to convert those long-form videos (typically, any video longer than 10 minutes) into bite-sized, easily consumable content for social is both helpful and informative. You’ll save time, grow your brand, and keep your content calendar on track.

Smarty’s take: We’ve been adopting this concept for a number of our clients over the years, who have a catalog of long-form video content (past webinars they’ve shared, product marketing videos, etc.) and aren’t quite sure how to best leverage them to drive traffic and engagement back to their channels. It’s a quick and easy way to help populate your content calendar, as well as bring those older videos no one is watching back into the spotlight. We’re also starting to see channels like Instagram and YouTube make it easier for users that watch snippets that link back to their original long-form video, removing another hurdle for marketers.

Threads is Hanging On by a Thread

When Mark Zuckerberg launched Threads in July 2023, many saw the new text-based social network as a “Twitter Killer” that would be a refuge for those looking to escape the plagued, Elon Musk-owned microblogging site. But despite an initial explosion of signups and engagement, Threads finds itself struggling to craft its own identity.?

According to numbers from SimilarWeb, daily active users on Threads peaked at around 26.7 million a week after its July 5 launch, but has dropped gradually to around 13.5 million, with the amount of time users spent on site also down from 23 minutes in July to around 6 minutes in August.?

To combat this declining interest, Meta released a number of platform enhancements, including a new desktop version, as well as the option to see chronological feeds of posts only from people they follow rather than algorithmically-driven feeds from users across the platform.

But even as Meta expands the functionality of Threads, experts say it faces an uphill battle to rebuild interest in the app and ensure there is a steady flow of engaging content to keep people coming back. The declining user engagement on Threads shows the pitfalls companies sometimes face when they push out a minimally viable product, betting that future updates will attract more customers.

Smarty’s take: While Threads’ future is still up in the air, we think it’s an ideal platform for users with a close-knit Instagram community. Although the platform is similar to Twitter, the majority of your initial followers will likely be from your Instagram audience, which should be kept in mind as you consider a content strategy there. The tone on the platform is very casual, explorative and a little chaotic at the moment. You can never go wrong with a short and sweet introduction, or posting a meme about learning a new social platform — but don’t share anything too promotional while people are figuring out this next layer of the Metaverse.?

As we wrap up our August newsletter, we find ourselves amidst a whirlwind of technological innovation and digital transformations. From Elon Musk's bold vision of transforming Twitter/X into a versatile "Everything App,"?to TikTok's captivating shake-to-reveal ad format, and Google's empowering addition of social media links to business profiles – the landscape of marketing possibilities continues to expand.?

Moving into the fall, we continue to be inspired by the evolution of social media, embracing change and creativity in our own digital communication efforts, as technology continues to shape our narratives in remarkable ways.?

Thanks for reading!?