Happy Friday, June 22nd! And welcome to the inaugural Mariano Media Social Media Friday Four blog post. Every Friday, we hope to provide you with four of the most important changes in the social media world that happened over the past week. This week we’re talking Snapchat, Facebook Messenger Ads, Facebook vs. YouTube and Instagram.
Snapchat
Snap Kit Could Turn Snapchat Into the Next Mobile Marketplace
Snapchat has released new tools allowing developers to integrate their apps with Snapchat. “The Kits” released include Story, Login, Creative, and Bitmoji, giving other apps freedom to combine their programs with Snapchat. This means that users of apps like Giphy, Tinder, and Eventbrite can log in with their Snapchat account, reducing the number of usernames and passwords you have to remember. Following Instagram’s lead in ecommerce, you’ll also be able to shop right from Snapchat through integrated external links. Pandora is the first to take advantage of these new features, allowing you to share songs directly to your friends through Snapchat.
Now Facebook is Putting Autoplay Video Ads Inside Messenger
Very soon, you’ll be seeing video advertisements in with your messages from friends in Facebook Messenger. While the program has allowed static ads in the past, the introduction of video ads shows that Facebook is ready to explore all advertising angles. Video ads are significantly more expensive than their static counterparts, so more video ads means more money for Facebook. The big question on everyone’s minds is how this new strategy will impact customer experience and ultimately affect Messenger’s popularity.
Facebook Takes Another Shot at Grabbing Social Media Stars from YouTube
This week was big in the world of video. Facebook is creating more opportunities for original content with their Watch program, again making more opportunities for advertising. American creators with longform original programming will be the first to receive ad breaks in their shows. The new Brand Collabs Manager platform will connect creators with sponsors to foster and support new shows. Facebook is also introducing new interactive elements, with polls, quizzes, and game shows where fans can subscribe and participate. As the long-standing go-to source for video content, Google and YouTube see what Facebook is up to, but they are not worried about losing viewers.
Instagram is About to Dive Into the Same Video Waters as YouTube
Also in video, Instagram is directly appealing to YouTube creators with their new service. IGTV supports longform content up to an hour, and Instagram is looking for Youtube creators and influencers to provide it. Despite a possible conflict of interest for some creators, YouTube has proved its power, remaining number one in video even as other platforms try to break into the scene. We will see how Facebook and Instagram both stack up in the coming weeks.
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