WHAT'S TICKING ? Vol 3 (1)

We're back with your weekly dose of social media news. Here's an overview of this week’s headlines:

1. TikTok published an E-Commerce Starter Guide.
2. New additions to Instagram.
3. Threads add polls and GIFs.

TIKTOK PUBLISHES E-COMMERCE MARKETING STARTER GUIDE

TikTok has published an E-Commerce Starter Guide aimed at helping brands dive into advertising on the platform.

The guide covers essential steps to launch a TikTok ad campaign, including references to features like Spark Ads. It breaks down each necessary element in a detailed checklist, providing explanations that can be particularly helpful for beginners. Additionally, the guide offers insights into what to do after launching your campaign and how to enhance your in-app presence.

For those planning to explore TikTok ads, especially during the holiday season, this guide offers a straightforward overview of the process. It also includes case studies and extra tips to support your advertising strategy. Download the guide here.

NEW ADDITIONS TO INSTAGRAM... AGAIN

In recent updates, the platform has introduced new enhancements, from the inclusion of looping video clips in Notes to the availability of Reminder Ads for Stories and the experimental testing of Collaborative Carousel Posts.

Let's take a look at these developments in more detail:

Looping Video Clips in Notes: Instagram is testing selfie videos in DM Notes to boost engagement, particularly with younger users. This addition will make users' Notes shelf more interesting.

Reminder Ads for Stories Placement: Originally launched in March, Reminder Ads simplify signing up for app reminders. Initially confined to infeed placement, Instagram is now expanding Reminder promotions to Stories, broadening campaign options.

Collaborative Carousel Posts: Instagram is launching a live test of collaborative posts, allowing users to invite contributions to carousel feed posts. This feature fosters engagement by enabling others to submit photos or videos. The original creator has the ability to approve or reject any submissions, while the post will only exist on the creators’ timeline, not any other contributors.

THREADS ADD POLLS AND GIFS

Threads is expanding its features with the addition of GIFs and polls in-stream.

Users can now include GIFs from GIPHY in their posts to make their content more expressive. Polls on the other hand provide another way for interaction and engagement and feature a real-time countdown timer. Poll voters will be sent a notification at the end of the poll so that they can check back on the final results.

On another front, Threads is also now testing view counts on posts, as well as the ability to pin a post to your profile. All of these latest features bring Threads closer to matching its number-one rival - X.

[Soure credit: Social Media Today]

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