media update’s Nakedi Phala takes a look at how social media platforms have been buzzing in 2020 thus far. 

It’s no secret that social media has been the to-go-to platform for sharing social, commercial and brand messages.

And although some brands used to rely on traditional means of selling products and communicating with their audiences, the utilisation of digital media has become the norm. This is because it’s used to divert brands’ public relations, advertising and marketing efforts — all through social media platforms and social apps. 

Here’s a look at  the evolutions of four social media platforms: 

Facebook creator studio 

In 2020, Facebook continued to upgrade its Creator Studio, which is a great benefit for brands looking to create some innovative content. The rewards vary, and include gaining insight as to who and how long audiences watch and enjoy their video content. 

Amongst other things, Facebook has managed to refine low-quality content making it more user friendly for users. Additionally, this year, you have to play it smart with your ad campaigns, as Facebook has now started to limit the number of initiatives that can be run by brands. 

These are just some of the things that the platform has regulated and made adjustments on, which, when applied correctly into your marketing strategy, can put you ahead of the curb. 

Twitter’s cool new tools 

Twitter has been giving some users a tough time in trying to understand the changes and additions to its policies. It’s no secret that the platform is one of the leading ones in terms of it being ahead of the game and adapting to the rapid changes in the social media landscape. 


So, what’s new on Twitter?

Shutdown of SMS accounts

Do you often wonder why you keep losing followers, especially recently? Don’t stress too much; it’s not necessarily you or your Twitter account. It’s probably because the platform is switching off over a million accounts linked to SMS services. The reason they are doing this is because some of these tend to be catfish accounts or duplicates. 

Voice clips 

If you’re not so much into typing  but you are really feeling the urge to communicate your thoughts with your audiences, then lucky you! Twitter has now introduced a tool that allows you to tweet your voice with audio clips. 

Another great feature has to be the ability for users to add onto their Twitter posts [could have appreciated the edit button though ...]. Nonetheless, adding tweets to preceding ones has the potential to increase engagement for those who have a knack for debates. 

Instagram paid badges 

With today’s economic uncertainties, Instagram users are looking to coin it! And fortunately for them, the platform has introduced a new feature called paid badges for creators’ lives. 

How does it work, you ask? Content creators can use a paid badge to divert more users to IGTV (Instagram TV) which allows users to make purchases during an Insta user’s IGTV live broadcast. The badges are said to appear next to the user’s name throughout the live stream. 

We have some good news for marketers — are you ready for this one? Instagram has also introduced ads, which can feature on IGTV videos from the video’s preview in their Insta feed. 

The ads have no effect on the viewers’ time and allow them to still enjoy IGTV content. This is because they’re  only allowed to run for a maximum of 15 seconds and, on mobile, they can be viewed in vertical mode — meaning they’re  mobile-friendly! 

YouTube child laws

Things are getting a bit strict on YouTube. In the beginning of 2020, the platform rolled policy changes that look to protect children more than anything else. 

This comes after the US Federal Trade Commission(FTC) raised some points on YouTube’s compliance under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This simply means that YouTube will stop offering personalised ads and content that’s created for children under COPPA. 
This is something that has been of huge concern to content creators as they fear for their revenue. This regulation could reduce the number of content users are able to place ads on (so you can see why they’re concerned).

However, this could also mean that there’s an opportunity for YouTubers to divert content to other age groups. 

With the way things are looking in  2020, it would be a great idea to consider investing in child-friendly content, since most of them will be learning and spending a lot of time at home and possibly on, you guessed it, YouTube. 

What are your thoughts on these new developments in the world of social media? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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Did you know that users between the ages of 55 to 65 are most likely to interact with branded content? Even more so than their younger consumer counterparts? To learn more, be sure to read  How to locate your target audience on social media.