It’s National Social Media Day! The Top News and Tips from 2017 (So Far)

Julie Chomiak — June 30, 2017

— June 30, 2017

It’s National Social Media Day! You may be thinking, isn’t every day social media day? Well, you’re half right. However, on June 30, 2010, Mashable created Social Media Day to “recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication.” Every year since, there’s been a growing global effort to applaud social media on June 30.

This year, we’re celebrating Social Media Day by rounding up the top social media updates and tips from 2017. We love social media and know how important social media is to small businesses around the world. Give our list a glance to get up-to-date on the latest social media news and keep your finger on the pulse of social.

Video is everywhere

As predicted, video has launched to the top of nearly every social media platform. From Snapchat to Instagram Stories to Facebook Live, video is what people want and what they’re watching. The rise of the streaming economy has happened in 2017, and more businesses – big and small – are using video to their advantage.

Because audiences like and respond to live streaming, high-quality production is not necessary. People are more interested in getting a behind the scenes look at a brand instead of a carefully produced video as it’s authentic and exclusive. For small businesses with limited capacity for social media marketing, video is a sound investment. As mentioned, you can live stream on nearly any platform and generate incredible engagement, reactions, and new followers. It’s an efficient way to broaden your brand’s reach without spending a much time more money. 2017 is the time to make video part of your social media strategy.

Social media isn’t one-size-fits-all

The volume and sophistication of social media platforms are astounding and as these platforms continue to evolve, knowing where your target audience is most active is critical for social media marketing success.

Fortunately, demographic data is at an all-time high, so understanding your target audience is getting easier. Tracx published a comprehensive infographic that features platform-specific stats to help businesses know where to invest their time. Click the image below to see the full graphic.

For small businesses, in particular, data should be your best friend. It will make your marketing efforts more efficient and cost-effective. Dig into the data that’s readily available in infographics like the one above as well as in your platform-specific insights and metrics.

Instagram breaks app barriers

In other social media day updates, Instagram expanded its global reach by allowing users to upload photos outside of its app. This means the social media giant is accessible to millions of more people across the world. People can now sidestep data costs and storage requirements by opening Instagram through its mobile web version.

While this is just great all around for social media users, it’s especially important for small businesses. With its 700 million monthly users (and growing every month), having a presence on Instagram is strongly suggested. You can get your brand in front of so many people – both followers and potential followers – through this platform. Even a weekly Instagram posting strategy will bolster your online presence and help solidify your business’s standing.

GIFs for all on Facebook

The almighty GIF has been around for 30 years, but it’s never been more popular than in 2017. People are using GIFs constantly in text messaging, emails, and naturally, social media. With the unbelievable demand for GIFs, Facebook recently rolled out the ability to use GIFs in comments. This is a game-changer. Not only does it apply to every single Facebook user, but it encourages user engagement. Only time will tell how well people will take to GIFs in comments, but our bet is that it will be through the roof.

For small businesses, this change provides an opportunity create dialogue and hone in on audience-specific nostalgia to catch your follower’s attention. This doesn’t mean using them in lieu of proper replies, but adding them to your Facebook strategy could open up more opportunities to humanize your business and strengthen your brand equity. Try using them and see how your audience engagement increases!

Want to know more? Click below to watch a brief instructional video about how to use GIF in your Facebook comments.

Twitter’s crossing over

Twitter is moving beyond the traditional definition of social media and featuring premium video content. They’ve partnered with sports, news, and entertainment outlets to publish original content exclusively for Twitter. Twitter users can watch NBA games, runway fashion shows, or stock market news programs all live from their platform!

This is an exciting change for Twitter as they’re forging a path for new social media opportunities. Who knows what’s next for the other social media platforms, but for now, your Twitter feed will include more live and exclusive video content for your viewing pleasure.

Snapchat’s looping video and magic eraser

In an attempt to keep ahead of other social media platforms getting on the live stream and stories bandwagon, Snapchat has introduced a host of new features that differentiate it from the pack. Most notably, there is looping video and image capability (the video or image displays until the user closes out) and the magic eraser, which is the Snapchat version of PhotoShop.

The first feature means users control how long they see content, which means they can interact with it more. Half the battle of Snapchat is that images and videos disappear quickly; this model puts the user at the helm and gives them time to view the content, respond, and share. This should reap huge rewards in terms of engagement for personal and business accounts.

Snapchat’s magic eraser means users can manipulate images to hide or focus on specific elements of an image. In the age of filters and photo editing, it’s only logical that a social media platform would add this functionality. By housing the photo editing in the app, it allows you to post and share images more quickly – and on Snapchat that’s a good thing as time is of the essence.

image courtesy of TechCrunch

Both of these updates could have positive implications for Snapchat. Time will tell whether these changes are enough to keep its current users on the app and entice others to put their content on their platform. If photo editing is out of your comfort zone, this is a simple solution for publishing quality images without needing to spend time and money to adjust your photos.

So there you have it! These six tips and updates top the list of social media updates for 2017 thus far. Keep them in mind as you craft your social media marketing efforts. Remember, you don’t have to be everywhere and do everything; just pick and choose what’s right for your small business and your target audience. Have fun and engage your audience in new ways by utilizing social media.

Do you love social media? Tell us how you’re celebrating Social Media Day and using the latest social media news and updates in your small business in the comment section below.

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