7 Marketing Updates You Need to Know About [October 2021]

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Check Out These New Marketing Updates This October 2021!

Can you believe it’s already November?!

October just flew by, but not without leaving us a ton of marketing updates! 

There is a lot that has happened in the last month.

So in this post, we’re gonna get you up to speed in time for the holidays with the latest marketing updates you need to know about.

We’ve got quite a few updates to push through today, so let’s jump right in!

7 New Marketing Updates You Need To Know About

1. Facebook Reels
2. Schedule Lives on Instagram
3. Instagram’s account status
4. Instagram’s branded content partnerships
5. Combining IGTVs and feed videos into one format
6. Instagram only recommends 3-5 hashtags
7. Testing of ads within tweet conversations

Update #1: Facebook Reels

The first on our list of new marketing updates may no longer surprise you.

Instagram Reels launched last year, and if you don’t know what those are, then be sure to read our in-depth post about that.

The update is that you can now view and engage with Instagram Reels, in your Facebook newsfeed.

Facebook says:

“With the ability to create reels and have their Instagram reels suggested to people on Facebook, creators…

…whether they’re just starting out or already have a large following — will have more ways to express themselves, grow their communities and reach new audiences.

Reels on Facebook can consist of music, audio, effects, and more.

You can find them in News Feed or in Groups, and when viewing a reel on Facebook…

…you can easily follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it, or share it with friends.”

So you can now both share reels from Instagram to Facebook, as well as create reels directly within Facebook.

This gives your Instagram the added reach of both platforms, which is huge for businesses trying to expand and build brand awareness.

What’s more, is Facebook is continuing with their initiative to invest $1 billion in creators from now throughout 2022 by…

“offering a new bonus program to help creators earn money when people view their reels.

The Reels Play bonus pays eligible creators based on the performance of their reels, and will be available on both Facebook and Instagram.”

If you are interested in this program to earn a little extra cash, head to facebook.com/creators/tools/mta for more info on Facebook.

Or for Instagram, head to the Bonuses section of your Instagram app.

As far as creating reels on Facebook, we expect the functions are pretty much the same as they are on Instagram. 

Update #2: Schedule Lives on Instagram

The second on our list of new marketing updates will probably make those folks who are into doing Lives pretty excited.

Instagram says,

“you can now schedule your lives with a feed post, up to 90 days in advance. Viewers will be able to sign up for reminders and notifications to tune in.”

Under your live camera, you should start seeing a schedule button that you can click on to add:

• a title,
• a start time, and
• any product tags

…and then you can share it as a post.

You’ll also be able to promote your scheduled Lives via a new Stories sticker.

So if you perform Lives quite often, keep a lookout for these new features in your Instagram app.

Update #3: Instagram’s account status

Before we dive into the next one on our list of new marketing updates…

…be sure to check out our new social media ads training course if you want to master social media advertising.

Now, Instagram’s new account status, Instagram says it:

“will help you get more insight into how our community guidelines affect your account.

Use this tool to learn what you can post on Instagram, and what you can do if your post goes against our guidelines.”

Our biggest takeaway from this update is that if your post gets taken down and you disagree with Instagram’s decision, or think it was a mistake on their part…

…this gives you a more direct approach to appeal. 

Instagram has been doing all kinds of censoring over the last couple of years.

And in that process, we’ve seen a lot of posts get flagged that really shouldn’t be flagged.

So this is Instagram’s way of giving us a real-time look at the status of our accounts and posts.

Update #4: Instagram’s branded content partnerships

Now, this feature isn’t fully rolled out yet.

But, they are beginning to test new partnership features that help creators connect and collaborate directly within Instagram.

You can see that they’ve given us a sneak peek at what these features will look like here.

The focus will be on discoverability and helping brands find creators that suit them, and vice versa. 

It will also give creators a smoother, more streamlined means of communication in collaborations with a specific section for partnership messages.

Again, this is one of those new marketing updates that are still currently being tested…

…but is something to keep in mind for the future if you work with influencers. 

Update #5: Combining IGTVs and feed videos into one format

If you are using Instagram for business a lot, you’ve probably already noticed this change.

When you click on a feed video, it will now expand into full screen as opposed to remaining in the limited square format.

And, you can pause, rewind, or skip forward on them now too which used to only be possible with IGTVs.

When you upload the video, you’ll also now have the ability to add filters, and/or trim your video.

What used to be the IGTV icon on your profile…

…has now changed to this play button icon to store all of your IGTVs and feed videos together in one column.

Instagram says this change will make it easier for you to create and discover videos on the platform.

Update #6: Instagram only recommends using 3-5 hashtags

The next on our list of new marketing updates, needless to say, came as a bit of a surprise to all of the business owners and marketers.

This is especially true for those who have been using the max of all 30 hashtags on posts to date for maximum reach.

But Instagram said, “adding 10-20 hashtags will not help to get additional reach.”

A lot of their other hashtag do’s and don’ts, here are things we already knew:

• Use hashtags that are relevant to your content and followers.
• Don’t use generic hashtags for the sake of reach.

But their advice to use 3-5 hashtags is news. It’s definitely something worth testing out!

If you want to learn more about using hashtags on Instagram, then read this post after this.

Update #7: Twitter is testing ads within tweet conversations

Adweek said,

“Revenue product lead Bruce Falck said in a tweet thread Thursday that the social network will begin testing a new ad format within conversations…

…adding that the test will be global, but only on Android and iOS.”

These ads will be inserted after the first, third, or eighth reply.

So if you run Twitter ads, this ad placement will be something to consider after they finish testing as it may increase your conversion rate at a lower cost!

So that wraps up the marketing updates for October 2021! 

Again, if you want to maximize your social media marketing efforts, our social media management company has all the solutions you need.

Contact us now to get started! 

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