September roundup: Social media platform updates, new features and policy changes

In September, new features such as audio-only live streaming and TV Pages on Twitter were almost eclipsed by the buzz around new creative advertising formats. Below is a full roundup of what’s changed, that social media producers, managers, editors and advertisers need to know.

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

Twitter

Reddit

Snapchat

LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn rolls out their update to Groups, which includes new features such as the ability to network in real-time with group members, see when they’re online and record video.

Pinterest

  • Pinterest expands its “Shop the Look Pins” to all business pages, a tool that allows business accounts to “tag” products and purchase them by clicking or tapping on a link.

Other

Social advertising

  • Facebook announces a separate section of its Ad Archive for news publishers, after backlash from media organizations. News publishers must now apply to be included in the news section of the archive, and has partnered with established news consortiums and The Trust Project to create an index of trustworthy news sources.
  • Facebook rebrands its mobile Canvas ad format as “Instant Experience” ads, and introduces pixel capabilities to help advertisers retarget users and better track campaign performance.
  • Facebook consolidates its cost metrics into a single “Cost per Purchase” metric which aggregates performance across digital, mobile and offline purchases.
  • Facebook gives advertisers more control over where their ads appear in videos, allowing the targeting of specific Nielsen-verified demographics on Facebook-selected premium videos in the News Feed and Facebook Watch.
  • Facebook announces a “ThruPlay” program, charging an advertiser only if an ad is watched to the end or at least 15 seconds.
  • Facebook now allows brands to be the exclusive advertiser for a single show on Facebook Watch.
  • Facebook tests ads within Facebook Stories.
  • LinkedIn’s new Dynamic Ads allows advertisers to tap into data from LinkedIn member profiles, and provide an easy campaign builder where the marketer builds their creative and provide copy, and the campaign is automatically personalized via AI technology.
  • YouTube launches vertical video ads.
  • Instagram is building a standalone shopping app which will let users browse items and buy them from within the app.
  • Instagram rolls out the ability to purchase items from within Stories.
  • Twitter tests Timeline Ads, that appear in timelines on other websites.
  • Snapchat launches new ad products, including a tool that allows advertisers to create lists of targeted users to identify those who have already visited a brands’ website; and Product Catalogs, through which advertisers can upload thousands of versions of their product feeds to automate Snapchat ad campaigns.

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Article by: Tory Starr

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