Simply Social Newsletter

What's New On TikTok? Here Are The Latest TikTok Updates!

• TikTok Sounds for Business: Voice Clips is a collection of 18 custom voiceover audio templates designed to help brands create engaging content, including voices of popular TikTok creators. The tracks are free and can be used in organic and paid content.

• TikTok Notes: TikTok is developing a new app for sharing thoughts and photos, which will likely be named TikTok Notes. Users have already received notifications about the upcoming app.

• TikTok eCommerce - TikTok Promote: TikTok has announced an upgrade to its Promote feature, which allows brands to easily boost videos, carousels, and livestreams, straight from the TikTok app.?

What does all of this mean for your brand?:

• New sounds will allow businesses to create engaging content and empower them to be more relatable, enhance their TikTok presence, and allow them to produce content that resonates with their audience.
• The new app will enable TikTok to reach new people who may be less interested in video content, or cannot use sound, which has the potential to broaden brands’ audience ranges.
• Brands who work with influencers are in luck as they can now directly use the influencers’ content in their own ad campaigns. This allows brands to use a more cohesive and impactful advertising strategy, making use of the authenticity and engagement of influencer-generated content.

Instagram Drops New Stickers on Stories

Instagram has been rolling out new stickers on Stories that offer fresh ways for the user to connect with friends over their interests and aim to inspire creativity in Stories.

What new stickers are available?

• Reveal: Use the Reveal sticker to share hidden stories with friends and followers. They can only view the content by sending a DM - great for business owners launching a product!
• Frames: Use the Frames sticker to turn any photo into an instant print, whether it's memories with friends or a special moment (or new product/service!). Followers can reveal the content by shaking their phone to develop the image.
• Add Yours Music: The ‘Add Yours Music’ sticker is a combination of the ‘Add Yours’ with the ‘Music’ sticker, letting users join music trends by sharing their favourite songs or recent finds with their followers, who can also add theirs. It’s a fun one to try with friends or to launch a new song as an artist!
• Cutouts: Use the Cutouts sticker to transform everyday moments into unique shares. Select part of any video or photo in the camera roll to create a Cutout sticker for a story or reel. Cutouts are saved in the sticker tray for easy access anytime. Brands could use this custom feature when wanting to add a bit more personality to content!?

Let us know if you have tried any of these new Stickers and what you think of them!

Instagram’s Working On Launching A New ‘Peek’ Feature

Is Instagram attempting to become the new BeReal??

The platform is introducing a new feature called Peek, allowing users to share a quick, one-take unedited snapshot of themselves or their life with friends, shared through direct messaging. Users can tap the smiling camera icon to capture and send an image instantly, without any editing options. The recipient can only view the image once before it disappears permanently.

Why might this feature become popular?

• It could encourage more direct interaction on Instagram.
• It would add more authenticity with the ‘no filter’ approach.?
• It would be a quick prompt to keep users connected.?
• A fun addition that offers another avenue for Instagram users to connect in new ways.

Meta Verified Broadens Its Range Of Business Services

Meta is extending access to its Verification for Business subscription package, allowing brands to purchase a blue checkmark for their Facebook and/or Instagram profiles. Additionally, the platform is introducing new features and higher-priced tiers to accommodate a wider range of business verification needs.

What does this mean for my business?

Depending on the subscription tier the business chooses, you can also receive the following in addition to the blue tick:?

• Enhanced profile options i.e.multiple business link choices (between 3-8) and visual elements for your links.
• Search optimisation boosting your profile's visibility in search results.
• Featured account status, showcasing your business in dedicated "Meta Verified" display units on Facebook and Instagram.
• Links in Reels, ranging from 2 to 6 links per month, depending on your subscription level.
• Employee impersonation protection, offering verification badges for selected employees.
• Customised messaging chats with dedicated colour palettes for customer interactions.
• Account review, providing top-tier subscribers with semi-annual profile reviews from a Meta expert to enhance their content strategy.

The Latest YouTube Shopping Update

YouTube has just announced some new shopping features to improve the eCommerce capabilities on the platform. One of these new features includes Shopping Collections, which will allow creators to create a collection of products from their favourite brands and lines. These collections can be themed, and will show up on the creator’s product list, Store tab, and video descriptions. Creators can now do this by creating collections on the Studio app.

What does this mean for your brand?

• By tagging products in videos, creators can increase visibility and awareness of their products, which in turn will boost sales.

• This also goes for influencers showcasing brands’ products. Now is the time to reach out to influencers and boost eCommerce sales.