Since the start of the school year, we’ve been constantly surprised by new developments in the ecosystem of our favorite social networks.
New features, an ever-growing user base, the deployment of new advertising tools… Make yourself comfortable in your plaid and take the time to read this article in which we share all the outlets so that social media no longer holds any secrets for you.
TIKTOK
The milestone has been reached!
TikTok registers over a billion users a month.
It’s unquestionably the network of the moment.
And there’s no shortage of new features! 
Some time ago, the Chinese network launched Creator Marketplacea platform dedicated to collaboration between brands and content creators.
This autumn, the platform was updated.
From now on, contact between the two players is facilitated by an improved filtering system.
Companies can target a content creator according to location, content type, audience… And that’s not all!
Once the relationship has been established, brands can follow the entire creation process and access statistics on content creators’ publications.
We have also seen the launch of Open Application Campaigns, an option for transmitting campaign briefs.
Influencers can apply for brand bids directly via the tool.
It’s time for the giant that’s exploding the social media market to get into e-commerce!
Please welcome TikTok Shopping.
TikTok has created partnerships with various e-commerce players such as Shopify.
This platform offers the possibility of promoting products within an organic TikTok video by redirecting the audience to the item’s product sheet.
Another TikTok Shopping feature is live shopping.
A brand can add live links to products or services.
The latest revolution at TikTok is the increase in the maximum length of videos from 3 to 5 minutes.
Tests are even underway to extend this to a maximum of 10 minutes.
When it comes to the network preferred by younger users, the time has also come for change.
As you’ve probably noticed, the swipe-up links at the bottom of the screen have disappeared a few months ago, to be replaced by “link” stickers to place on the story.
And good news: links are now available to everyone.
You no longer need to have a minimum of 10,000 subscribers to access this feature!
As the news has just arrived in the U.S., we’ll have to wait a little longer before it’s available in France.
Another new feature that tends to facilitate partnerships between creators and companies is the possibility of cross-posting publications.
In other words, the same publication appears simultaneously on two feeds, one for each creator (or company), enabling them to be better showcased and making it easier to take engagement into account.
Take the example of a competition organized by a brand and a content creator: the same post announcing the competition will be posted on both accounts, and reactions (likes, comments, shares) will be shared and counted only once.
In our survey on the use of social networks during confinement, we noted that video has taken on a predominant role.
Many social networks have had to adapt to demand, and have evolved their offering.
Such is the case of Instagram, whose Live format was a hit in 2020, a format that continues to evolve.
The latest innovation is Live Schedulding, or the ability to schedule a Live up to 90 days in advance.
Reminders are offered to the audience, so they can better organize themselves to avoid missing the live show.
Scheduling also means that you can test the image, sound and Internet connection beforehand, which we’re glad to see, because how many live shows have got off to a shaky start?
As for the IGTV format, after a year’s launch, the tool and feed videos are now one and the same, becoming Instagram Video.
New features have also been added: more filters available for these videos, the ability to crop visuals, tag people and localize.
As for the preview in the feed, it is now 60 seconds long, as opposed to 15 seconds previously, except for sponsored videos.
The question is whether monetization is still possible.
The answer is yes, it is still possible to monetize videos only for creators who were already eligible before.
Still, Instagram has thought of businesses and content creators!
Feed and video performance will no longer be dissociated, to make it easier to read the statistics.
While until now it was only possible to view Instagram stories on Facebook, now the real ones will be visible too.
The feature is only available in the USA at the moment, but it’s expected to be rolled out to the rest of the world in the coming months.
If you’re on Facebook, you’ll be able to subscribe directly to the creator of the real to be able to view the real from the News Feed and in Groups.
Speaking of Facebook, where do things stand?
After tackling storytelling, videos and e-commerce, Facebook is now turning its attention to news media through Facebook News.
Already present in several European countries, Facebook News will arrive in France in January 2022.
Facebook France had the good idea of signing an agreement with APIG (Alliance de la Presse d’Information Générale), which brings together more than 280 news media.
As a result, Facebook will have the pleasure of choosing which media will or will not be able to appear on the Facebook News platform.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, audio is on trend.
With the advent of podcasts of all kinds, and the emergence of social networks such as Clubhouse that rely on audio, the giant Facebook couldn’t miss out.
Having introduced a tool for listening to and broadcasting podcasts last June, Facebook is now launching Live Audio Rooms which, like Clubhouse, consists in creating and hosting live audio rooms.
Note that only public figures, certified creators or groups can create them, and all other users can of course attend them.
Do you enjoy listening to audios from your computer?
Rest assured, the tool will soon be available on Android.
In other news, and not least, the group is changing its name to Meta 🚀 The new name is a reminder of what Mark Zuckerberg wants to develop, the metaverse. We’ll have plenty of time to come back to this in a future article 😉
LinkedIn is also on the move.
Just one year after their launch, Stories are disappearing from the LinkedIn interface to make way for a new video format.
The platform is developing a richer video experience, enabling users to use different media and expand their creative scope with new tools.
Good news or bad, you be the judge.
LinkedIn will disappear in China.
The number of restrictions imposed by the Chinese government is too great to be profitable.
So what can be done to enable Chinese customers to apply for jobs?
Microsoft is going to create Injobs, a new stand-alone application dedicated to employment.
To meet government constraints, there will be no social feeds, no messaging, no sharing of articles, only responses to job offers.
The little bird sings!
Twitter has been working to catch up with the competition: to do so, it is launching “group” communities and professional accounts.
To access ads, here’s Twitter Ads.
The accounts concerned can now have specific information on their performance, and add data to help identify the company or creator (opening hours, addresses…).
To facilitate online purchasing, a shop has been installed, displaying a product catalog.
A link to the account newsletter enables followers to sign up with a single click.
The major advantage of Twitter Ads is that it’s completely free.
Another new feature, which is unlikely to meet with unanimous approval, is the monetization of tweets through subscriptions.
Three types of subscription are possible ($2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 per month) thanks to super follows.
Creators can configure their tweets to reach only the subscribers to their account.
Worldwide deployment is scheduled for the coming months.
YOUTUBE
We end this article with the social network that was all the rage during the confinements: YouTube.
After years of existence, the platform is considering an option to upload videos directly to the network.
Currently being tested by users, this option is reserved for a small sample of premium subscribers.
Stay tuned!
There’s a lot going on at the end of the year.
Stay tuned, because social networks have no intention of stopping there.
