With much of the world currently experiencing stay-at-home orders and lockdowns due to COVID-19 concerns, people are spending more time than ever online. Over the past few weeks, social media engagement alone has increased by 61%. But with the world in a state of crisis, it can be tricky to know what to say or if anything should be said at all, especially for brands.

Despite the challenges, there are still ways to positively connect on social media. Read on for our top three tips for posting during the pandemic.

Stay Engaged

While it may seem like the world has paused in many ways, it’s actually a good idea for companies to keep posting on social media. This doesn’t mean all messaging should be “business as usual,” and you will probably need to cancel previously scheduled posts, especially if they could now be construed as insensitive. However, with so many people turning to social media for entertainment and connection, companies have the opportunity to engage with consumers and build positive sentiment for their brand.

In times of crisis it’s often better to overshare than under share when it comes to company changes. Inform followers of any relevant updates to your company including store closures and new policies, and be sure to stay engaged with comments, answering questions in a timely manner. Let your followers know you are still here, ready to assist and support them.

Companies can also share internal updates. In a recent study, 78% of consumers say they expect companies to take care of their employees’ health and implement flexible working options. By sharing how you are taking care of your employees, your followers may love you more, resulting in more loyal brand fans.

If it is currently unsafe for people to use your services (such as travel companies, large events or festivals, restaurants, etc.), consider sharing aspirational content. Encourage followers to share happy memories, and focus on messaging that points to the future. However, when sharing aspirational messages it’s still very important to acknowledge the current situation to avoid being perceived as insensitive. 

Show Empathy

As you adjust strategy and continue to post, your content needs to strike the right tone. With fear, disruption, and uncertainty everywhere, it’s essential that your messaging becomes more empathetic to remain effective.

How do brands become more empathetic on social? First, by acknowledging difficult circumstances and showing elevated concern and awareness. It’s easy to fall into clichés — at this point, the phrase “in these unprecedented times” has been shared at unprecedented levels — but noting the stress and oddness of the current situation, particularly when they conflict with the core of your business and messaging, is important. Used appropriately, a simple acknowledgement of “we know things are hard…,” shared sincerely, will go a long way to building good will.

Empathy can have an unspoken role in your content too. At a time when much traditional messaging seems gauche or oblivious, well-placed User Generated Content has the potential to show that you are still in tune with your audience. By featuring UGC, you can build new trust and brand affinity, just by sharing genuine experiences direct from your followers. Be sure to vet UGC carefully — with strict rules and high expectations for conduct in place all over the world, gaffes and bad behavior shared online have a new potential to spark a social firestorm.

Empathy shows in action too. Many companies are launching campaigns focused on giving to those in need, shifting operations to help their communities, or offering direct donations to charities. By putting new focus on philanthropy, you can show that your brand is engaged and working to make things better, whether highlighting existing outreach or debuting new initiatives with social-first components (asking followers to suggest charities that need assistance, for example). 

Be Creative

As more people spend their time on social media and engagement is higher than normal, it is important to maximize your reach and use the creative features Instagram has to offer. If you own a small business or are a brand that is currently not utilizing certain platforms or features, this is the time to get the most out of digital marketing. Social media offers the amazing ability to reach so many unique audiences and develop relationships with your community. Being active on social media and using the creative features offered is important for both small businesses that cannot be open right now and larger businesses that may be negatively affected.

There are many ways brands can creatively reach their audience during this time. Using IG Stories, IGTV or IG Live are great ways to communicate with followers. Certain brands are taking the initiative to be extra communicative, which is important during this time of uncertainty and increased questions. Flower Bodega, a florist shop, made a graphic with frequently asked questions they were receiving in their DMS and posted it as an in-feed carousel, demonstrating a great way to be as transparent as possible during this time. More brands are utilizing stories and in-feed posts to share with their followers how they are navigating these times.

While scrolling through social media sites like Instagram, one will see fashion influencers, fitness influencers, nutritionists, instructors, and many others taking this time to share their expertise through IG Live Q&As and IG Stories. As a consumer of social media, it is very obvious the wealth of knowledge that is floating around on social platforms at the moment. Users can use this time to learn something new while using app features they previously didn’t have the time or desire to utilize.

If your brand has tips, expertise and/or any knowledge, now is a great opportunity to share it with users who are constantly on their phones consuming content.

The post Social Media During COVID-19: 3 Tips For Companies appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

As people stay home and consume content on the app, increasing its popularity, it leads to question, should more brands be on this app to gain exposure? Scrolling through the app right now you will see popular restaurant chains like Chipotle in addition to media publications like The Washington Post. As of February luxury brands like Tory Burch, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada had joined the app as well. This leads to the question of should all brands add Tik Tok to their social platform roster.

Let’s explore types of advertising available on the platform. One being brand takeovers, which is an ad that appears as soon as you click into the app. Another type of ad is one that appears on the “For You Page.” The other type of advertisement is the hashtag challenge, which encourages users to share user-generated content with the brand’s hashtag. Another option is the ability to advertise through a branded lens available for users as they edit their videos.

With different types of ad formats on the platform, it leads to the additional question of, is this an effective driver of paid social? First, one has to look at who is on the app. Looking at the statistics from the app roughly 60 percent of the platform’s users is between the ages of 16 and 24.  If your brand’s target market is between these age it may be wise to run advertisements.

We personally think Tik Tok would be a great platform to reach Generation Z and some Millennial consumers, but at this time doesn’t suit brands with consumers older than 35.  We look forward to seeing what happens to Tik Tok as more users join and the platform evolves with success.

The post Tik Tok, staying home, and should brands join? appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

But what we’re finding is that bigger is not always better.

First of all, what is a micro influencer?

A micro influencer is a user with a smaller following (typically around 10,000 to 50,000 followers) and a high engagement rate. In other words, while they have less followers, those followers tend to be very active on the creator’s account, liking and commenting frequently. They typically post about a particular area of interest (health and wellness, fashion, lifestyle, etc.), cultivating a group of followers who have similar interests. Macro influencers, on the other hand, are your celebrities and public figures — they have huge follower counts and typically post a wide variety of content to a more diverse audience. However, given the greater number of followers, macro influencers struggle to form a sense of community or relationship with their fans, which in turn results in a lower level of trust.

So now we’ve introduced our players, let’s dive into the pros of going with “the little guy” when it comes to influencer marketing.

Authenticity Builds Trust

Due to a smaller fan base, micro influencers seem more like “real people” than celebrity macro influencers. They often go to greater efforts to reply to messages and comments, creating a sense of community and friendship with their followers. Because of this, people trust micro influencers more than they do celebrities. In fact, 82 percent of consumers are more likely to follow a recommendation from a micro influencer. When they recommend a product, their followers may respond much like if a close friend of theirs made the recommendation. While micro influencers often receive compensation for promoting a product or service, their followers trust that the recommendation is still authentic.

Cheaper

Influencers typically expect compensation based on their number of followers. More followers = higher prices. So working with influencers with smaller followings can often be a more cost effective option. Oftentimes, micro influencers will even accept a free product or service in exchange for a promotion. Partnering with multiple micro influencers may actually reach a more dedicated, proactive audience for less money than a partnership with one macro influencer.

Targeted Audiences

Most micro influencers post about a specific genre of interests. Maybe they’re into fashion or travel or enjoy sharing DIY projects. Maybe they just enjoy cleaning (seriously, it’s a thing). Whatever their “brand”, they’ve developed a niche audience who has the same interests. By working with a micro influencer within a certain interest category, you can have better control over what type of audience you’d like to reach. And as we saw before, that audience is likely to be more engaged and more willing to act on the influencer’s recommendations.

One final note: not all micro influencers are created equal. It’s important to find someone with an authentic following who has earned trust and rapport with their audience. At a time when it’s easier than ever for engagement metrics to be faked, it’s important to check if an influencer is buying followers, likes, or comments from an online company. Check posts for irrelevant and spammy comments and see if they have a large amount of followers with no photo or no followers of their own, as these can often be red flags. You can also use a third-party auditing and vetting tool (like Hype Auditor and SocialBlade), which can help highlight fraudulent engagement.

Are micro influencers the future? For many brands, yes. It really depends on your marketing goals. Macro influencers will still get your message out to a wider audience, which may be a good option if your goal is brand awareness (as long as you have the budget for the “big dogs”). However, if you’d like to target a specific audience in an effort to build authentic brand fans or drive sales to a particular product, you may benefit from partnering with a group of micro influencers.

So what do you think….is micro the move?

The post The Move to Micro – Why Micro Influencers Are a Smart Marketing Choice appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

As 2019 comes to a close, we are looking back at some of the changes introduced this year on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. From hiding likes to app redesigns to the end of political advertising, new features and updated policies have changed how users experience each platform. As consumers’ mindset on content consumption and the social media landscape evolved, the platforms took 2019 as an opportunity to shift towards authenticity and privacy.

Below are just a few social media changes implemented over the course of 2019.

Facebook

A move toward privacy – Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced a monumental move toward building a “privacy-focused platform.” After over a year of data leaks and privacy scandals, 2019 marked a shift for the company as efforts were made to secure private communications and reassure users their information would stay…well, private. We think we can speak for everyone when we say “time will tell” on that front.

New design – In the middle of the year, we saw a glimpse into where Facebook was headed during their F8 conference. One of the main announcements was a huge Facebook feed redesign, affecting both desktop and mobile app experiences. In an effort to put “communities at the center,” a greater emphasis was placed on groups and events, which in turn made the News Feed less prominent. Facebook hopes this redesign will be a step in their goal toward shifting the platform from a focus on public sharing to private communities.

“Why am I seeing this?” – Facebook introduced a new feature that allowed users to view more context about a post or ad on their News Feed. The option, when clicked, explains how past interactions impact the ranking of the posts and ads on the user’s feed.

Increased transparency in Ad Library – Previously called the Ad Archive, Facebook launched a new Ad Library in an effort to make advertising on the platform more transparent. Whereas Ad Archive only showed ads related to politics or social issues, the updated Ad Library allows users to see all active ads any Page is running as well as information about who saw the ad, its spend and impressions, and previous ads up to 7 years.

Algorithm updates – Unsurprisingly, Facebook continued to make adjustments this year to their algorithm (aka the tool it uses to rank all posts on a News Feed based on the likelihood of a positive reaction from the user). Facebook uses survey results to update its algorithm — this year using the results to prioritize Pages and groups it predicts users care about the most. Continuing on an update first announced in 2018, Facebook uses three main signals to rank group and Pages content to determine how high it will appear on a user’s News Feed, increasing the visibility of the content.

As Facebook continued their endeavor to remove posts that violate Community Standards, reduce misleading or harmful information, and inform users with context surrounding posts, Facebook also implemented News Feed changes that would improve personalized experiences. This included reducing spammy content and showing comments that add the most value.

Facebook Dating – And finally, the platform made it “Facebook official” by rolling out Facebook Dating in the US. Previously available in multiple countries, the feature now allows users in the states to make romantic connections with their Facebook friends. The whole process is completely private, but Facebook took it one step further by offering “Secret Crush” — a feature that allows users to privately express interest and match with mutually interested friends…similar to a stranger-free Tinder experience.

Instagram

Instagram launches Checkout – Earlier this year Instagram launched a new feature allowing users to purchase a product they see on Instagram without ever leaving the app. This feature is incredibly crucial for e-commerce sites, providing a separate area on the account’s page to showcase products which can lead to in-app sales.

Instagram launches Creator Account – Also this year,Instagram launched the option for a Creator account. This update allows users to alter their account to a creators account, giving creators more valuable insights and tools. Under this feature, users have new creative options to categorize their account, including labels such as actress, blogger, photographer and many others.

Later in the year, Instagram launched their own creator account aimed at encouraging creators and influencers on the platform. Designed to share tips and tricks for content producers, the account provides data and information as well as answers to frequently asked questions from creators. We find the account to be especially great for new influencers and marketers in the industry, sharing information that isn’t typically general knowledge for the average user.

Testing hiding likes for certain users – As mentioned in our article last month, in mid-July Instagram announced the pilot’s rollout in seven countries including  Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. By making like counts private, Instagram wanted to send a clear message. Per a spokesperson at Instagram, “we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.” This update has us questioning how hiding likes will effect influencer marketing.

Twitter

Compared to Facebook and Instagram, Twitter can feel like an underachiever — its core function is clear, but its ambitions aren’t (remember when its big move was changing profile pics from squares to circles?). 2019 didn’t do much to buck the trend, with many quality of life changes promised in one way or another, but few seeing the light of day. Here are our highlights:

Twitter’s user base in the US is growing, but just barely – Twitter had a sub-1% level of yearly growth in the States, while maintaining a healthy number of active users. The trend lines for 2020 look much the same.

A redesigned desktop experience – Bringing a bit more to the table than the aforementioned profile pic decision, Twitter rolled out a new desktop experience in July, giving new attention to lists, bookmarks and trends with a revamped aesthetic, while skirting any fundamental changes.

An end to political advertising – Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey grabbed attention when he announced that the company would no longer allow political advertising, distancing it from rival Facebook’s policies in the midst of a long-running debate on misinformation and fake news. Of course, given that political ads made up a truly paltry share of Twitter’s ad revenue, you can draw your own conclusions about the altruism of the decision.

Hiding replies – As we mentioned last month, Twitter’s decision to let users hide replies marked a big shift for the platform. It’s likely a welcome change for many, but might not make the most sense for brands.

What to Expect in 2020

Facebook

As Facebook continues in their effort to provide a privacy-focused platform, we expect to see an increase in regulations for publishers and advertisers. This could mean posts and ads being funneled through a finer sieve, possibly flagged as spam, clickbait, or low-quality and consequently hidden from users. Further, Facebook may also limit the number of ad campaigns it allows pages to run at once in order to cut down on the amount of third-party content users receive. Which means it’s now more important than ever to focus on creating quality content and abide by Facebook’s policies when crafting ads.

Also, as Facebook prioritizes posts based on users’ smaller communities, advertisers may experience a drop in their paid reach and need to adjust their paid strategy budgets and increase their focus on creating organic fans.

As always, we can assume we’ll have to adjust once again to more algorithm changes. We think one of the main tweaks will include ways to combat fake news and harmful information, possibly removing these posts from the feed altogether.

As Facebook is the owner of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, we also presume we’ll see more integration of the apps, allowing users to better communicate seamlessly across the platforms.

Instagram

As we approach 2020 it’s hard to predict what will be the next drastic changes that Instagram implements. Will hiding likes be rolled out to all users on the platform? Will we see an uptick in creators accounts as the app leans towards lending support to these accounts? We are eager to see the changes the app makes as popular apps like TikTok begin gaining increasing popularity among Generation Z.

Twitter

Despite continued hints at new features (like hiding likes, implementing nested replies, and including added control over who can see and respond to tweets), we expect the Twitter experience and landscape in 2020 to look a lot like 2019.

We WOULD love to see more core improvements to the app experience that would make social media planning and monitoring viable without third-party solutions, like native scheduling and more robust options in TweetDeck, but we aren’t holding our breath.

Considering its slowly growing but fairly active user base, we recommend relying on Twitter as a worthwhile line of communication, but don’t expect your message to hit a wider audience next year.

Overall we are excited to see what 2020 will bring to the social media realm. Happy New Year!

The post Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: 2019 Year In Review appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

After a long wait, Twitter has just implemented a new feature requested by many: the ability to hide replies to Tweets. While it may seem like a game-changing tool, perfect for banishing trolls and steering the conversation, the truth is a bit more complicated. Read on for our thoughts on when it might make sense for your brand to hide replies, and why it might be better, in Twitter parlance, to take a step back and “get dunked on” when things aren’t going as planned.

The Good

For years, Twitter has been an open (very open) conversation. And while it’s fostered a unique online culture with its free-for-all approach, it hasn’t always meshed with best practices for brands. Twitter took a small step in changing the rules when it began automatically hiding some offensive comments in 2017, but this filter caught only the most profane messages (and not especially well at that).

Now that users can hide replies (a feature taken for granted on other platforms, with hiding and deleting comments available on Facebook and deleting comments on Instagram), we have something new in what still remains a limited toolbox for keeping conversations on track.

When working with our clients, we deal with off-topic spammers and coattail-riders trying to promote their own ventures in the replies from time to time (well, let’s be honest, all of the time), and worry about situations when malefactors might post inappropriate material or personal information. These less-than-model posters are the perfect candidates for reply-hiding.

BUT, before we go mad with power, let’s take a moment to consider the potential downsides of brands hiding replies on Twitter-dot-com.

The Bad

Unlike the frictionless hiding and deleting available on Facebook and Instagram, Twitter has decided to make the process…a thing. Click to hide a reply, and other users will be met with the message “some replies were hidden by the Tweet author,” announcing to the world that you have broken an unspoken norm of the platform. What’s more, with the press of a button, users will still be able to see the replies you’ve chosen to hide. This is an issue for two important reasons:

1. Getting more attention when you want less. When scrolling through replies, people are likely to quickly pass by most off-topic or unpleasant comments. For better or worse, bad replies are almost a fact of life on Twitter. Counterintuitively, reply-hiding has the potential to actually draw more attention to bad posts than they would receive under normal conditions. By announcing that you are hiding replies and then giving people the option to see what is hidden, you are inviting them to linger on what you consider most unacceptable, and maybe even giving them ideas for more bad behavior.

2. Losing trust. If you are quick to hide replies, you run the risk of building negative sentiment. When the whole community knows that you hide replies, you might be seen as betraying the spirit of the platform. Whatever message you were hoping to share, activating reply-hiding might say something very different: that you are prickly and uninterested in dialogue and feedback from the community. If your social media strategy relies on Twitter to solicit stories, solve problems, and hear concerns, reply-hiding has the potential to dampen enthusiasm and delegitimize your presence on the platform.

Final Thoughts

Our advice? Use this feature sparingly, and know that no matter how justified it seems, your audience might hold it against you. The old-fashioned block and report are more worthwhile for day-to-day community management and won’t draw the ire of the Twitterverse. Use them instead when it makes sense.

And as always, our best recommendation is this: Don’t post things that will generate negative reactions in the first place! It may seem obvious, but you can avoid many headaches and crises by crafting content carefully, giving it the review it deserves, and always, always staying mindful of wider contexts and sensitivities.

If you’d like to learn more about using social media to build trust with your brand and create messages that earn positive attention, get in touch with us.

The post Twitter’s Reply Hiding — A Missed Opportunity? appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

Introducing Instagram’s newest update, testing hiding likes for certain users. In mid-July Instagram announced the pilot’s rollout in seven countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. By making like counts private, Instagram wanted to send a clear message. Per an Instagram spokesperson, “we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.”

Going further Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram said, “The idea is to try to depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition, and give people more space to focus on connecting with the people they love and things that inspire them.”

As the app shifts in focus to making meaningful connections and seeking inspiration, we can’t help but wonder – What does this mean for influencer marketing? Influencers have long relied on their engagement metrics to prove their reach in order to qualify for brand partnerships. Will users still feel the need to interact with their favorite brands and influencers when the likes aren’t displayed, or will they simply scroll by? With this update rolling out it also raises the bigger question for brands who seek influencer partnerships – how will brands vet influencers for authenticity and engagement when the only visually public information is the comments section?

In November Instagram continued rolling out hidden likes to other countries after their initial push in the summer. This expansion included some users in the United States for the first time, sparking new conversations about Instagram’s future.

Personally, this update has us excited for the future of this platform. The ability to create content and share it with followers without numerical values being applied to the post will allow creators to feel more motivated to share what they love with their curated community.

As for influencer marketing, the hiding of likes may open up the dialogue between the brand and the influencer. We predict conversations arising on how best to determine other metrics to evaluate influencer’s ROI. We also predict brands will begin evaluating success of an influencer partnership based on the quality of content being delivered and posted from the influencer as well as the utilization of tags in IG Stories to drive traffic back to the brand’s Instagram account.

What do you think of Instagram’s newest update, and how do you think it will affect influencer marketing as we know it?

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Here are our biggest takeaways from the event:

1. “The Future is Private”

The overarching theme of this year’s conference? Privacy. Which may seem a bit rich considering the company’s past year of privacy scandals. The irony wasn’t lost on CEO Mark Zuckerberg as he chuckled saying, “I know that we don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly.” However, it seems they’re ready to start a new chapter for their services, centered around six principles: private interactions, encryption, reducing permanence, safety, interoperability, and secure data storage.

2. Facebook: Redesign and New Features

In an effort to “make communities as central as friends,” the Facebook app will undergo a complete redesign for both desktop and mobile experiences. Along with a cleaner and more modern look, the app will also place less importance on the News Feed, centering around groups and events instead. An improved groups tab, new tools to better suggest new groups to join, and updates to Health Support Communities and Professional Communities will give users a more personalized feed, putting “your communities at the center.”

Events will also receive a new tab that will feature an improved map view, allowing users to easily see local events and events their friends plan to attend.

Also of note, the previously announced Facebook Dating tool will be expanded to 14 more countries (with US coming later this year). It will include a new feature called “Secret Crush,” which will allow users to privately match with friends who have mutually expressed romantic interest in each other (think Tinder, but with your Facebook friends).

3. Instagram: Shop From Creators, Camera Redesign, and Private Like Counts

Instagram is also rolling out new updates and features designed to improve user experience. Starting soon, users can shop looks from creators without leaving the app. Creators will be able to tag products in their posts, a feature previously only available for select brands. Instagram will begin testing the feature with a small group of creators in the coming weeks but plan to allow Creator Accounts and Business Accounts full access soon.

The Instagram camera is also undergoing a redesign in an effort to be simpler and easier to use. It will include a new “Create Mode” space where users can share interactive stickers (such as quizzes, countdowns, questions, etc.) to Stories without the addition of a photo or video. Instagram will also be adding a donation sticker that will allow users to raise money and awareness for nonprofits on their Stories.

In addition to reducing the focus on follower counts, Instagram will also begin testing private like counts, removing the number of likes shown below each post.

4. Messenger: Improved Connections with Close Friends and Businesses

Messenger is rolling out a refreshed design and new features to make it easier than ever for users to connect with the people they care about most. The app will include a dedicated space where users can share updates, see Stories, and send messages to their close friends and family, including a new feature that will allow users to watch videos together in real time within the app.

Facebook will also be adding lead generation templates to Ads Manager, allowing businesses to better connect with potential customers through Messenger. Businesses can create ads for Facebook that will drive customers to a simple Q&A within Messenger. The process is similar to a bot, where customers can answer automated questions from the business, share more details, and even make an appointment, all without the business having to do anything.

Facebook also announced a new Messenger Desktop app for users who would prefer to connect beyond an internet browser. And finally, a completely re-engineered, lighter and faster Messenger app will roll out later this year, which will take up less storage space and offer quicker launch speeds.

From refreshed designs to new features, both Facebook and Instagram seem to be prioritizing privacy, altering the way many users currently experience the apps. As changes roll out in the coming months, it’s important to consider how your marketing strategies could be improved to better meet consumers in the ever-evolving social space. Not sure where to start? Let us know!

Watch highlights from the Day 1 Keynote here: https://bit.ly/2SFqokR
For more information and announcements from F8 2019: https://bit.ly/3dhvr2S

The post The Four Biggest Takeaways from Facebook’s F8 2019 appeared first on Context Over Dogma.

Online shoppers watch out, this new feature is targeted towards you! Over the last year Instagram has introduced a number of updates simplifying things for users who love to shop, including in-feed product tags, product stickers in Stories and a shopping destination in the Explore feature. Instagram users revealed that they wanted more time and space before buying so Instagram made it easier to save and share products. Checkout enhances the shopping experience by making the purchase simple, convenient and secure. Users no longer have to navigate to the browser when they want to buy. Instagram has made it so each user has protected payment information in one place, so they can shop their favorite brands without needing to log in and enter their information multiple times. You now have the ability to just scroll through your Instagram feed, see something you like, then within just a few clicks it’s headed to your home. You don’t have to leave the app or visit some other site, it’s all right there.

Over the course of the coming weeks, people in the US will be able to use Checkout with brands such as Adidas, Burberry, Nike, and Warby Parker. Brands partnering with Instagram to utilize Checkout will be charged a selling fee. Being able to partner with Instagram on Checkout, will offer an elevated, seamless shopping experience for their audiences.

This is only the beginning for Instagram in terms of becoming a full-blown commerce business, they revealed that Checkout is just one part of their long-term investment in shopping and that they are excited to introduce even more ways for people to enjoy shopping on Instagram this year.

If your brand is interested in Checkout, reach out. We’ll get you set up!

Happy shopping!

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For those of you that spend hours on the site, you know who you are, you’re now able to purchase your favorite items without ever leaving Pinterest.

Pinterest recently introduced new tools that allow brands to upload catalogs and the users to purchase what is available for sale on directly on the website. The goal is to match users with products they might be interested in buying as they surf through Pinterest. Ads will be placed according to the users taste, making it easier for them find items. There will be another tool allowing users to search for specific products they are thinking of purchasing, and with one click, they will be able to see many items that fit their search, and pay for them right there on the site!

These new features have opened the door to the world of e-commerce for Pinterest, who is taking the necessary steps to make the shopping experience as easy and customized to individuals as possible – and we know that social users, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are expecting custom experiences.

There are three new functions which will provide shopping inspiration for users.

1. The first focuses on generating other items from the searched brand that the user might like.
2. The second will be called “more ideas” and will suggest similar items not necessarily from the same brand but anything that is available on the website.
3. Last, but not least, users will be able to find stock information regarding unique items using the search tool.

Pinterest joins the ranks of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, who are also introducing ways for their users to buy from the platforms.

Online shopping just got better and let’s face it a lot easier! For those of us that have countless boards filled with cute outfits to dream kitchens, let’s get shopping.

Read more on this topic direct from Pinterest.

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In a lengthy statement, Zuckerberg described the end-to-end encryption they want to implement on Facebook messenger as well as their other messaging platforms such as Instagram’s direct message. The end-to-end encryption is a way to ensure that the messages exchanged between individuals will stay private to the messaging parties, and won’t be exposed to any other person including the government and/or Facebook itself. The method is already in use on WhatsApp, which by the way, Facebook also owns.

While building WhatsApp, the focus was on the privacy so that users would have a platform where they don’t have to fear their conversations are being creeped on by unwanted parties, thus allowing the individual to be more comfortable expressing himself. So, to get Facebook to a level of security that would compare or exceed that of WhatsApp, Zuckerberg and his team started working on strategies to implement changes.

Although it wasn’t clear how long the entire process would take to implement these safety measures, here’s what we know:

1. Zuckerberg wants to transform the messaging platforms from a “town square” to a “digital living room” where users feel comfortable having conversations
2. Sensitive information will be kept for a shorter period of time such as a month or a year, and the users might even have the option of choosing how long they want to display a specific message on the recipient’s device before they send it.
3. While end-to-end encryption is a perfect way to ensure benign conversations stay private, it is a bit of a hiccup because it also allows malignant content and intentions to be shared through a highly encrypted server, making it much harder for these conversations to be detected.
   • To make sure they still have a way of identifying these harmful conversations, they’ll be working with cybersecurity firms and the government to develop the right level of encryption to make sure their good intentions doesn’t cause them any more headaches.
4. All messaging platforms such as Facebook’s Messenger, Instagram’s Direct Message, and WhatsApp will be integrated so that the users can have the opportunity to pick the platform they want to be messaging on, and use all three interchangeably.
5. With regards to data centers not being installed in countries where human rights records are weak, and where privacy and freedom are more likely to be invaded by the officials or harmful parties will stay the same – Zuckerberg stated that this is a trade-off Facebook is willing to take to ensure top security.

Finally, Zuckerberg admitted on his statement that people don’t have much faith in Facebook’s abilities to increase safety, due to its reputation that has been stained by numerous events, the latest being the data breach discovered in late 2018. Despite, the statement is very detailed and shows initiative that Facebook hasn’t taken before. It sounds like Zuckerberg is finally listening to the feedback and responding to the backlashes. Only time will tell if any of these promises will be possible to implement. Stay tuned!

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