So grab a seat, because we\u2019re sharing what\u2019s changed this week, what it means for you, and how your business can use these changes for growth.<\/p>\n
1. Links via Stories via Instagram<\/strong><\/h3>\nYes, you read that right, you can now directly link on your Instagram Stories without having to direct followers to \u201cLink in Bio.\u201d \u00a0This feature was previously only available to verified users on the app (that blue check mark is very difficult to obtain), but has now been rolled out to users with 10,000 followers or more! <\/span><\/p>\nTakeaway for your business: <\/b>The ability to give your customers effortless access to their favorite products is one of the many reasons social media marketing works so well. As a brand, you want your potential customers to be able to find your product with as little friction as possible. Now, you can direct them to simply swipe up on the story and lead them to exactly what they are looking for. Even if you don\u2019t have 10,000 followers, your brand can still reap the benefits of this change. Now when partnering with influencers and collaborating with brands that might have a larger following than you, a direct link can be placed to the product you\u2019re having them feature. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n2. Rewind via Instagram<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn between the \u2018Boomerang\u2019 and \u2018Hands-Free\u2019 features is a truly magical update. While recording a story, you can set your video to play in rewind. You won\u2019t realize how fun it is to record something coming undone until you try it! <\/span><\/p>\nTakeaway for your business: <\/b>Prior to this update only someone with a deep understanding of video editing could produce video like this. Now your brand has the ability to edit video to look professional, without a background in production. This opens up a whole new realm of creativity for your content.<\/span><\/p>\n3. Collections via Instagram<\/strong><\/h3>\nInstagram added a feature that allows users to save other people\u2019s Instagram posts to their page. These posts can be organized into folders called \u201cCollections\u201d giving users the ability to categorize content.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"image3\"](\"http:\/\/www.gettheagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image3-e1496689585930.png\")
<\/p>\n
Takeaway for your business:<\/b> \u00a0This new feature is great for brands that utilize user generated content! By being able to save and organize posts, reposting content from your customers has been made that much easier. Collections\u2019 \u201csave for reference later\u201d premise is also very similar to Pinterest. While these remain only visible to the user right now, it makes Instagram more e-commerce friendly. Now your followers can save your brand\u2019s photos with a certain product they like to shop later.<\/span><\/p>\n4. Transferring \u201cLikes\u201d to \u201cCommunity\u201d via Facebook<\/b><\/h3>\n
On Facebook pages with larger audiences, a new feature is being tested. The \u2018Likes\u2019 section on pages has been replaced by \u2018Community\u2019. Now, instead of seeing who’s liked the page, \u2018People Talking About This\u2019, and who’s checked in, you can see <\/span>your friends who like the Page, total Likes and Follows, Visitor Photos, and Public Posts. <\/span>Below, Mari Smith\u2019s page shows how the interface is laid out.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"image1\"](\"http:\/\/www.gettheagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1-e1496689799350.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTakeaway for your business:<\/b> When an update is in beta, Facebook oftentimes only releases it to a few influential brands, before all users have access. If all goes well, you can expect to have this feature soon. Before it was difficult for your followers to see mentions of your brand. Now, fans of your page can see all the mentions and shares you\u2019ve gotten. This will encourage those people to interact with your other fans building a \u2018community\u2019. Also, once they see other followers mentioning your page, they may be more inclined to mention your page themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n5. Facebook Ads-Creating a Value-Based Lookalike Audience<\/b><\/h3>\n
The ability to create Value Based Lookalike Audiences is a \u2018coming soon\u2019 update to the Facebook ads platform (it\u2019s currently inthe beta phase). This new feature, that we expect to roll out soon, allows you to assign a Lifetime Value to customers of a certain Custom Audience. The real power in this comes from the ability to then create a Lookalike Audience of customers with high lifetime value. Jon Loomer\u2019s website does a fantastic job of explaining and displaying this in practice:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"image4\"](\"http:\/\/www.gettheagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image4-e1496689867979.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Takeaway for your business: <\/b>Not all customers are equal. Some may make only one purchase, while others come back again and again. By first providing Facebook with a lifetime value of all customers within your custom audience, you\u2019ll then be able to create a Lookalike Audience based on your most valuable customers. This means you can use this audience for lower funnel targeting! The cost per result may be higher at first, but the overall cost per conversions will most likely be significantly lower. Here is another example from Jon Loomer\u2019s website:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"image5\"](\"http:\/\/www.gettheagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image5-e1496689851655.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n6. Unit Feature for E-Learning via Facebook<\/b><\/h3>\n
Takeaway for your business: <\/b>The ability to give your customers effortless access to their favorite products is one of the many reasons social media marketing works so well. As a brand, you want your potential customers to be able to find your product with as little friction as possible. Now, you can direct them to simply swipe up on the story and lead them to exactly what they are looking for. Even if you don\u2019t have 10,000 followers, your brand can still reap the benefits of this change. Now when partnering with influencers and collaborating with brands that might have a larger following than you, a direct link can be placed to the product you\u2019re having them feature. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In between the \u2018Boomerang\u2019 and \u2018Hands-Free\u2019 features is a truly magical update. While recording a story, you can set your video to play in rewind. You won\u2019t realize how fun it is to record something coming undone until you try it! <\/span><\/p>\n Takeaway for your business: <\/b>Prior to this update only someone with a deep understanding of video editing could produce video like this. Now your brand has the ability to edit video to look professional, without a background in production. This opens up a whole new realm of creativity for your content.<\/span><\/p>\n Instagram added a feature that allows users to save other people\u2019s Instagram posts to their page. These posts can be organized into folders called \u201cCollections\u201d giving users the ability to categorize content.<\/span><\/p>\n Takeaway for your business:<\/b> \u00a0This new feature is great for brands that utilize user generated content! By being able to save and organize posts, reposting content from your customers has been made that much easier. Collections\u2019 \u201csave for reference later\u201d premise is also very similar to Pinterest. While these remain only visible to the user right now, it makes Instagram more e-commerce friendly. Now your followers can save your brand\u2019s photos with a certain product they like to shop later.<\/span><\/p>\n On Facebook pages with larger audiences, a new feature is being tested. The \u2018Likes\u2019 section on pages has been replaced by \u2018Community\u2019. Now, instead of seeing who’s liked the page, \u2018People Talking About This\u2019, and who’s checked in, you can see <\/span>your friends who like the Page, total Likes and Follows, Visitor Photos, and Public Posts. <\/span>Below, Mari Smith\u2019s page shows how the interface is laid out.<\/span><\/p>\n Takeaway for your business:<\/b> When an update is in beta, Facebook oftentimes only releases it to a few influential brands, before all users have access. If all goes well, you can expect to have this feature soon. Before it was difficult for your followers to see mentions of your brand. Now, fans of your page can see all the mentions and shares you\u2019ve gotten. This will encourage those people to interact with your other fans building a \u2018community\u2019. Also, once they see other followers mentioning your page, they may be more inclined to mention your page themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n The ability to create Value Based Lookalike Audiences is a \u2018coming soon\u2019 update to the Facebook ads platform (it\u2019s currently inthe beta phase). This new feature, that we expect to roll out soon, allows you to assign a Lifetime Value to customers of a certain Custom Audience. The real power in this comes from the ability to then create a Lookalike Audience of customers with high lifetime value. Jon Loomer\u2019s website does a fantastic job of explaining and displaying this in practice:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Takeaway for your business: <\/b>Not all customers are equal. Some may make only one purchase, while others come back again and again. By first providing Facebook with a lifetime value of all customers within your custom audience, you\u2019ll then be able to create a Lookalike Audience based on your most valuable customers. This means you can use this audience for lower funnel targeting! The cost per result may be higher at first, but the overall cost per conversions will most likely be significantly lower. Here is another example from Jon Loomer\u2019s website:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n2. Rewind via Instagram<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Collections via Instagram<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n4. Transferring \u201cLikes\u201d to \u201cCommunity\u201d via Facebook<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n5. Facebook Ads-Creating a Value-Based Lookalike Audience<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n6. Unit Feature for E-Learning via Facebook<\/b><\/h3>\n