This week in social media news, TV audiences are distracted by mobile, Oculus makes friends with YouTube VR and Facebook tests music posts in the News Feed.
Also, LinkedIn helps recruiters track down talent, streaming ads get more targeted on Facebook, Snapchat ads get shoppable and YouTube Music caters to audiophiles. Ads come to Facebook Stories, professors use Twitter to track the spread of new words and Snapchat adds tools to help users vote. Snapchat and Amazon team up for camera searches, LinkedIn integrates Office 365, Twitter fights dehumanizing speech, Facebook encourages young girls to learn coding and more regions get access to Facebook video ads. Meanwhile, more consumers can “shop the look” on Pinterest and Facebook offers a college certificate.
Facebook Breach Impacts 50 Million Accounts
An attack has exposed the data of more than 50 million Facebook accounts, the company admitted Friday.
Why it matters: Facebook is already struggling to regain consumer trust after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and a breech of this size will not help consumer sentiment.
Details: Facebook revealed that unknown hackers took advantage of a vulnerability in the site’s code to access user data. More than 90 million Facebook accounts were forced to log out as a precaution. The investigation is ongoing as of this writing, the perpetrators have not been identified.
“We’re taking it really seriously,” Mark Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters. “We have a major security effort at the company that hardens all of our surfaces.” He added: “I’m glad we found this. But it definitely is an issue that this happened in the first place.”
Facebook Study Reveals Mobile/TV Viewing Habits
A commissioned eye-tracking study found that consumers often view social media and other mobile content while watching TV, especially during commercials.
Why it matters: When participants diverted their attention from TV to look at their smartphones, the top two app categories were social and messaging apps, giving advertisers an idea of how to engage during this time. Facebook says that 55 percent of smartphone time was spent in Facebook-owned apps.
Details: Facebook IQ commissioned an eye-tracking study in Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study gave participants special glasses and asked them to watch TV as normal. They found that during TV shows, TV viewers paid attention to mobile 28 percent of the time, and during TV ads, they paid attention to mobile more than half the time. Younger participants are more likely to check their phones during a TV show, regardless of whether ads are playing.
YouTube VR App Headed To Oculus Go
Facebook plans to bring over 80,000 VR videos to its Oculus Go headset.
Why it matters: VR adoption has been slow for a variety of reasons from price point to a lack of content. Adding the YouTube VR app to Oculus Go allows users access to thousands of free videos in 360-degree.
Details: During its Oculus Connect 5 Keynote, the company announced that the YouTube VR app was going to be available on its entry-level $199 headset. Users will also be able to cast their experience to another screen, beginning with mobile devices and TV at a later date.
Facebook Testing Music Posts Outside Of Stories
Facebook users may soon be able to add music to their photo and video posts—a feature previously announced for Stories.
Why it matters: Facebook is establishing a relationship with the music industry, which is feeling pressure in a digital age. Deals with music industry execs will allow Facebook to attract more engagement from users that would have previously had posts removed for copyright infringement.
Details: Lip Sync Live began testing in June, allowing users to add music to Facebook Stories. That test is now expanding to other posts such as videos and photos posted in the regular News Feed.
LinkedIn ‘Talent Insights’ Offer Hiring Strategies
Talent Insights is a new tool that helps recruiters locate and understand talent, including those working for competitors.
Why it matters: LinkedIn has access to a massive amount of employment data, which puts the company at a unique position to sell access. For employers, this information will offer a better knowledge of the kind of talent they are looking for.
“By using Linkedin Talent Insights, I was able to better communicate to our leadership team why we were facing specific challenges in certain talent markets and justify a budget reallocation to reach our hiring goals,” said Devin Rogozinksi, head of talent marketing at Atlassian.
Details: Companies on LinkedIn now have access to a premium AI service called Talent Insights. The tool creates reports that help staffing departments better understand trends related to the talent they are looking for such as location, skills and current employer. The service was announced last year and launched on Tuesday after 12 months of testing.
Facebook Adds More Streaming Video Ad Solutions
Advertisers that want to be seen during a Facebook livestream now have two new tools—In-stream Reserve and ThruPlay.
Why it matters: The new options offer fixed impression cost (CPM) and the ability to buy ads on a Nielsen verified Target Rating Point (TRP) basis.
Details: In response to advertiser requests, Facebook has added the ability to purchase streaming ads in advance and have them delivered to in-target audiences verified by Nielsen. Brands can choose between categories such as sports or beauty for even more personalized delivery.
Snapchat Rolls Out Additional Ecommerce Tools
Shoppable ads will soon come out of testing, just in time to be used in tandem with other ecommerce tools.
Why it matters: Snapchat is finding new ways for brands to reach its coveted teen audience. According to early testing, brands experienced higher engagement rates using Collection Ads.
Details: Shoppable Ads, now called Collection Ads, have come out of testing will be available to all marketers in October. In the meantime, brands can upload catalogs of products and turn them into a variety of ads. Lastly, Pixel gives more insights about user behavior such as what kind of websites they visit. Early testers include Wish, eBay and Guess.
YouTube Music Gets Additional Streaming Controls
Google has rolled out new audio streaming and download quality controls for YouTube Music on Android.
Why it matters: YouTube is determined to build strong relationships with the music industry, which has looked down on the site’s monetization model. Additional controls will appeal to music lovers. The more people use YouTube Music, the easier it will be for Google to negotiate licensing deals.
Details: YouTube Music video streaming quality controls now include low, normal, high and always high. Controls have also been expanded to include audio quality and download options. Users can choose to download and save audio only, for example.
Facebook Ads Now Available As Stories
Brands can now include Facebook Stories as an additional placement to News Feed or Instagram Stories ad campaigns.
Why it matters: Facebook says that more than 300 million people use Facebook Stories and Messenger Stories every day. In testing, Tentree and Skout both found that adding Facebook Stories to their Instagram Stories ad campaigns resulted in more customer actions at a lower cost.
Details: Following the success of Instagram Stories and widespread adoption of ads in the format, brands can now create similar campaigns on Facebook.
“Facebook Stories ads support every objective that’s currently available for Instagram Stories ads, including reach, brand awareness, video views, app install, conversion, traffic and lead generation,” said the announcement. “Facebook’s full suite of targeting and measurement capabilities is also available for stories ads across platforms.”
Study Tracks Origins Of Vocabulary Born, Spread On Twitter
Researchers in England tracked the origin of 54 emerging words in American English by analyzing nearly a billion tweets between 2012-2013.
Why it matters: Social media can spread an idea like wildfire, for better or for worse. Linguists can now use geocoded tweets to track the spread of vocabulary from the introduction to widespread adoption.
Details: The team at the Centre for Corpus Research at the University of Birmingham found that development of new words in Modern American English centered on regions: The West Coast, the Northeast, the Mid Atlantic, the Deep South and the Gulf Coast. For example, “baeless,” meaning single, originated in the Deep South while “mutuals,” meaning mutual friends, started on the West Coast.
Snapchat Users Can Register To Vote Inside The App
Users 18 and over in the US can now access resources inside the Snapchat app like registering to vote and encouraging others to do the same.
Why it matters: Social media has gained a bad reputation for outside political interference and all the drama both for and against the Trump Administration may have young consumers feeling complacent. Snapchat, among a myriad of brands, is providing consumers with tools to take control by voting.
Details: Snapchat users over the age of 18 can register to vote inside their user Profile page. A video message from “Team Snapchat” encourages users to vote and new tools have been added like nationwide Filters they can use to encourage friends to register.
Snapchat Launches Test Of Amazon Photo Search Tool
As discovered inside Snapchat’s code this summer, a new feature allows users to take a picture of a product and discover it on Amazon for purchase.
Why it matters: Discovery is a major driver of purchasing intent and Snapchat joins a growing number of brands offering a camera identification product.
Details: Snapchat has begun testing a feature that would allow users to take a picture of products or barcodes in order to search for them on Amazon. The feature hints at a larger partnership with Amazon—the only other place where consumers can buy Spectacles.
Facebook Introduces Computer Programming Courses For Children
Sphero and Facebook are launching CodeFWD, a program for elementary schools to offer computer programming.
Why it matters: Facebook hopes to attract more female computer programmers through the class. By making CodeFWD free to schools, they better the chances of participation.
Details: CodeFWD by Facebook, launching in the US and designed for both English and Spanish speakers, is a three-step program where educators and organizations introduce computer programming to 4th through 8th-grade students.
“At Facebook, we’re creating the programs, tools, and products to build diverse education communities that bring the world closer together,” Lauryn Ogbechie, Facebook’s education partnerships director wrote in a blog post.
LinkedIn Adds Personalized Collaboration Through Office 365
A new integration with Microsoft Office 365 allows LinkedIn users to collaborate with connections on documents and get professional insights when scheduling meetings through Outlook.
Why it matters: Since Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016, it was only a matter of time before an integration like this took place. Both brands can work together seamlessly in a professional setting and encourage brands to purchase Office 365.
Details: LinkedIn announced a new integration of Microsoft 365 that displays professional insights on contact information and allows connections to collaborate on a Microsoft Office document such as PowerPoint. LinkedIn integration in the Office web apps will gradually start rolling out in the coming months for Office 365 users and to people who have begun using the early version of the new Outlook on the web.
Twitter Asks Users To Vote For Anti-Dehumanization Policy
Twitter is asking the community to provide feedback on a proposed new rule that would prohibit dehumanizing someone based on their affiliation with an identifiable group.
Why it matters: As political tensions rise, Twitter is trying to curb hate speech on its platform. Dehumanizing language is dangerous and can incite violence by making someone appear less than human. Opening the policy up for community discussion allows Twitter to address any concerns or exceptions before the policy becomes official.
Details: A survey will be available until October 9 that allows Twitter users to provide feedback on a new policy. Questions ask whether the policy is clear, any exceptions to the rule they should consider and any other feedback.
Facebook Ad Breaks Available In 21 New Countries
Pre- and mid-roll video ads are now available to more regions, along with support for five additional languages.
Why it matters: Facebook is placing more emphasis on video monetization with its Watch channel and other locations. Expanding to other regions and languages allow the company to generate even more ad revenue.
Details: Facebook Ad Breaks are now available in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Thailand. As part of this expansion, Facebook is adding support for five new languages, namely French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai.
Pinterest’s ‘Shop The Look’ Expanded To More Businesses
Small-to-medium-sized businesses can now offer ecommerce on Pinterest with Shop the Look Pins.
Why it matters: These Pins were previously available only to larger businesses who purchased them through third-party marketing partners. Integrating Shop the Look Pins into a self-serve tool will allow more brands to offer ecommerce on the platform.
Details: As reported by Search Engine Journal, Shop the Look Pins are now available as a free, self-serve option to brands on Pinterest. The ecommerce integration is free to use and redirects users to a website for purchases.
Facebook Offers Digital Marketing Certificate Through ACC
During its Community Boost tour, Facebook announced that it has partnered with Austin Community College (ACC) to offer certificates in digital marketing.
Why it matters: This is the 10th college to partner with Facebook for the Digital Marketing Certificate, offering skills in marketing and social media strategy. Facebook is investing in future marketers to drive income on the platform.
Details: Austin Community College is now offering a certificate in digital marketing to enrolled students. According to the announcement, 82 percent of small and medium-sized businesses on Facebook in Texas say an individual’s digital and social media skills are important when hiring new employees.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, September 28. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.