Social Media Delivers Discoverability and Exclusive Content
In the first half of 2021, we saw a focus on competition between social media platforms. Different platforms were rushing to claim different trends for their own after short-form vertical video and live audio rooms took off. Now that these features are live, we’re starting to see how platforms are carving out their territory within these trending formats. This week, we’re seeing more exclusive content deals and efforts to make content discoverable, to keep you coming back to platforms for more!
Photo by YouTube
New To You(Tube): Discoverability for Creators!
In their latest Creator Insider video, YouTube gave us a sneak peek at an upcoming discoverability feature for the platform. “New to You” will be a new option for viewers to see content from YouTube channels they haven’t seen in the past. This selection is intended to be fresher than what’s normally displayed on a user’s home page, but more personalized than what they’d find on the Explore page.
This takes the user’s interests into account and shows them other creators they might be interested in. For creators, it’s a whole new way to get found and gain subscribers! You don’t need to have a video go viral or be at the top of your category to appeal to new viewers. This emphasis on letting creators be discovered might be a response to how easy it is to discover and be discovered on platforms like TikTok. In any case, it’s great news for small businesses and creators that are putting useful content on YouTube!
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
We’ve talked about the benefits of creating and sharing videos before. YouTube is a great place to host all the videos you create about your business. You can also gain some views and drive awareness about your brand with videos that offer helpful information about your industry or products. With this new discoverability feature on the platform, informational videos could be shown to a much larger audience than before, so make sure your content and thumbnail keep them engaged!
Photo by Nathan Dumalo on Unsplash
Twitter Keeps Trying to Make Fleets Happen
Remember Fleets? Twitter’s story feature is reminiscent of Snapchat stories, Instagram stories, and pretty much any other stories you can think of. Twitter’s release of Fleets and Spaces shows us a new picture for the future of the platform: one where Twitter isn’t just for Tweets. Now they’ve taken a step further to encourage the use of Fleets. According to social media consultant Matt Navara, Twitter is testing a feature that will have users see related Fleets on Tweets that they view.
Since this feature hasn’t officially been announced yet, we’re not sure of all the details. What counts as a related Fleet? Will we see Fleets from accounts we aren’t following? Even without all the answers, we see this as a push for this newer type of content on Twitter. There may even be more integrations between Tweets, Fleets, and Spaces in the future! This also might be enhancing discoverability. If we start seeing Fleets that lead us to new accounts, finding followers might become a lot easier!
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Twitter has been a difficult space for a lot of small businesses so far. Many smaller accounts never gain many followers, making it difficult to invest in a separate strategy for Twitter. We’re still keeping our eyes on how this feature will play out, but it could make this platform feel a little bit more like Instagram, with multiple types of posts and ways to be discovered on the platform.
Photo by Product School on Unsplash
Trend Alert: Exclusive Content Keeps Viewers on a Platform!
When someone steals your great idea, what do you do to stay relevant? Social media companies are facing the effects of copycat features across different platforms. One of the methods of standing out and retaining users is platform-exclusive content. We’ve already seen this with other tech services: Think of how NBC’s Peacock reclaimed The Office to steal some of Netflix’s subscribers. Now, social media platforms are forming alliances with content creators to keep their edge.
The prime example that we’re seeing right now is a war over live audio rooms, mainly between Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse. Twitter Spaces gained some steam after delivering android access faster and opening up to all users. Now, they’re solidifying that edge with exclusive content from the NFL, according to The Verge. Not to be outdone with these live sports chats, Clubhouse is launching its own exclusive content collaboration with TED Talks. Clubhouse’s creator programs also encourage high-quality content from smaller personalities on their interface. We’ll have to keep our eye out for how this fight progresses, but we’re noting interesting moves from both sides this week.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
So what do wars between platforms have to do with you? The different types of content might influence which users prefer a particular platform. If Twitter Spaces gets more sports content, we could see a shift in their audience. This is true for all the social platforms that are battling it out. Before making your decision on where to spend your time, find the latest stats on their user base and make sure it aligns with your target audience!
Ok, now what?
Now that you’re up to date with the latest industry news, it’s time to invest in a team that specializes in all things social media and digital marketing. We can help! Liquid Creative is a full-service marketing agency ready to help your business operate to its fullest potential without missing a beat.
