This Month In Social | June 2023 Edition

Coincidentally, this month's edition of #ThisMonthInSocial is going live on National #socialmediaday. This month I am excited to introduce you to social media hacker, Alessandro Paluzzi , share how?7-Eleven & McDonalds use content and social media to reach a younger audience for a nostalgic brands and highlight the latest updates from top social media platforms.

For those who have enjoyed reading the newsletter every month, you will notice something new. I am adding social media days for July to help those of you that want to build out your content for next month. If this is helpful for you, let me know, I am happy to keep it as a regular monthly feature.

Welcome to my new subscribers and thank you to my returning readers. I hope you enjoy the June edition.

Happy Reading!

>>?The Latest From? Instagram ?|? Facebook ?|? Meta ?>>

Meta Reduces Age Requirements For VR Accounts

• Children between 10 and 12 years old can now create their own VR identity via ‘parent-managed’ profiles
• Young users will not receive ads and parents will be able to manage how long kids can use VR daily
• While Meta is building in management tools to help parents mitigate potential risks, we don’t have definitive data on the potential psychological and physiological impacts of prolonged VR use, something to keep in mind

Instagram Expands Broadcast Channels & Tests New Channel Options

• IG looks to shift its focus from feed posts to more private discussions with the additional DM engagement option available to all users that have an active Creator account
• The latest update will enable more creators to share updates with broader groups of people via DMs in the app
• There will now be question prompts, providing a way for chat members to contribute to the channel

Instagram Now Allows U.S. Users To Download Public Reels

• U.S. based users will be able to download Reels to their camera roll from public accounts
• Sound creepy? If you have a public account but don't want people downloading videos you post of your kids or the inside of your home, you can change the options in your Account Settings
• It's presumed that downloaded videos will have the IG logo and profile name as Head of IG Adam Mosseri showcased in a recent update
• Reels alone continue to be a point of focus to drive growth and revenue for Meta

>> The Latest From?TikTok?>>

TikTok Dispels How It Tracks Data With a New "TikTok Truths" Series

• New series created to dispel concerns about how it tracks and utilizes user data, as US Government continues to question their future?
• Information shared will address key questions about TikTok’s data practices, to alleviate user concerns, and win public support for the app

TikTok Launches a Dedicated Hub For Agency Partners and Brands Who Want To Grow Their Reach

• Includes a consolidated resource of case studies, tools, and guides to optimize in-app endeavors
• There's details to understand the ad targeting systems and offering explanations on shopping ads and brand safety, as a comprehensive toolkit

>> The Latest From?Twitter?>>

Twitter's New CEO Outlines Her Principles

• Via Twitter (surprise), new CEO Linda Yaccarino shared what her approach will be in managing the app
• The running theme was around free speech, mirroring what Elon has been shouting from the rooftops since he bought the company
• Linda advocated for Twitter becoming the "world’s most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication." The struggle the company continues to face is how to get brands to start advertising again in it's current environment

Twitter Tests New Restrictions on DM's

• Twitter Blue users will soon be the only ones allowed to send DM requests to users who don’t follow them in the app
• Pro is it will restrict people’s ability to engage in DM spam, con is that it can impact businesses using Twitter for customer service, and other profiles that use Twitter DMs to reach out to potential contacts or collaborators
• Up next, Twitter’s looking to limit the amount of DM's non-subscribers can send per day

Twitter Experiments With Job Posts With a New Twitter Recruiting Element

• New feature would enable verified organizations?to post job openings in the app, and advertise them on Twitter direct
• Job listings will show up on a company’s Twitter profile, with a link back to an application page on their website
• This move seems to be part of Elon's bigger goal to make Twitter an app for everything including content hosting, creator revenue sharing, payments, job posts, dating and beyond

>> The Latest From?YouTube?>>

YouTube Creates Cross Promo Program to Increase Shorts Content

• The new initiative, called?#ShortsFriends invites Shorts creators to promote each other through reciprocal sharing within the app
• The program links Creators, to help cross-promote and increase engagement through Shorts content, as a means of cross-promotion and engagement.
• If accepted to the YouTube Creator program, you’ll have access to a broader network of creators who you can partner with to help promote and amplify related content

7-Eleven Partners with Hip Hop Star To Excite Audience About Slurpees

• 7-Eleven and rapper Flo Milli have teamed together to release a Slurpee-inspired song for fansConsumers are challenged to put their own spin on the song (on Instagram Reels and TikTok) for the chance to be featured in a future remix. To qualify, they use the tag #FlowLikeSlurpee by July 12 on all submissionsThe song (available on YouTube and Spotify ), includes a Y2K-inspired music video, cameos from Kari Faux, 2Rare and Maiya the Don and a collaboration with streetwear designer King Ice for Slurpee-themed jewelry.

麦当劳 Brings Back Grimace For Birthday Party Nostalgia

• McDonald's launched a campaign focused on brand character Grimace’s birthday, inspiring a dedicated meal that includes a limited-edition purple shake and tapping into nostalgia around memories of childhood birthdays at the fast food chain
• The current campaign also includes a number of digital channel integrations including a Snapchat AR experience and a charity tie with Ronald McDonald House Charities on Instagram

July #socialmedia moments to build out your content calendars in advance & share great content

• July 1.?International Joke Day #InternationalJokeDay
• July 2. World UFO Day #WorldUFODay?
• July 4. Independence Day (United States) #IndependenceDay
• July 7. World Chocolate Day #WorldChocolateDay?
• July 11. Cheer Up the Lonely Day #CheerUpTheLonelyDay?
• July 14. Bastille Day – National Day in France #BastilleDay
• July 15. Give Something Away Day #GiveSomethingAwayDay?
• July 17. World Emoji Day #WorldEmojiDay?
• July 18. World Listening Day #WorldListeningDay
• July 18. Nelson Mandela International Day #MandelaDay?
• July 24. Tell an Old Joke Day #TellAnOldJokeDay?
• July 30. International Day of Friendship #DayOfFriendship

Meet Alessandro Paluzzi . He is often quoted for finding features from the social media platforms that have not been announced and are being tested on the backend.

He's a great follow on Twitter to get the first looks and heads up on what top social platforms don't want you to know... yet!

Follow Alex on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mastodon

• 19 Apps for Instagram to Get 10X The Views - Hootsuite
• How To Make a TikTok - Mashable
• Snapchat Shares What Gen Z Looks For From Brands - Snap Inc.
• YouTube Puts Out "Culture and Trends" Report - YouTube Blog

Thank you for reading all the way through. It hopefully means you loved what you read.

If you learned something new and enjoyed this edition of?This Month in Social Media, I would greatly appreciate you sharing with your network on any of your social channels.

Want to see what you missed last month, check out the?May's Edition.

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