We’re here to help you keep your finger on the pulse of the ever-changing world of social media. Start off your week on the right foot by catching up on the latest changes and updates to your favorite social media platforms.
- Ask the audience. Twitter is reportedly working on developing and testing polling tools that would work through interactive Cards. Native polls would allow marketers to implement the polls without a third-party service.
- Say hello to Ello. The new social network launched in March promising an ad-free social network. Ello pledges not to sell ads based on user data but instead will make money from paid premium features. Currently by invitation only, Ello is experiencing a surge of interest from anyone and everyone.
- Updated features for Facebook page admins. Facebook has reinstated the option to boost a post only to “people who like your page.” Now you can boost posts to people who like your page, people who like your page and their friends or people you choose through targeting. Facebook also added a “Your Pages” module to timelines of Page Administrator. In the upper right-hand corner of the News Feed, this module provides information on pages admins manage.
- Twitter and Hollywood test the advertising waters. Twitter will begin beta-testing ads for users who mention movies. As part of the testing, which will take place over the next few months, users who tweet about a movie may now see relevant ads for similar movies. Studios can target ads based on a list of movie titles rather than by specific keywords. More broadly, movie genres and general movie discussion can also be targeted.
- Facebook tests “Buy” button. Facebook and the payments company Stripe are working together on a “Buy” button that will allow users of the social network to purchase advertised items. Just 5 percent of US adult Internet users have made a purchase on a social network such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, according to an August 2014 poll. With their new “Buy” buttons, it’s safe to say that Facebook and Twitter would like to see this percentage increase.
- Build your Amazon Wish List with a hashtag. Now users can add products directly to their Amazon Wish List by replying to a tweet. Once your account is connected with Amazon, you can reply with #AmazonWishList to any tweet containing an Amazon product link. The product will automatically be added to your Wish List.
What do you think about the updates? Let us know by leaving a comment or by reaching out to me on Twitter, @carolaskyn.