Social Media Is A Business’s Best Friend
Facebook is continuing to establish its role as the savior of small businesses and content creators with new ways to generate revenue on their platform. Meanwhile, TikTok and Twitter are giving us more options to control the conversation, literally, with restrictions on commenting. And finally, in a move that feels like it should’ve happened years ago, Twitter is incorporating full-size images into our feeds on iOS and android. All in all, these features are rewarding businesses who choose to invest in their social media presence, and we’re happy to see these changes keep coming!
Facebook Expands Monetization Options for Creators and Businesses
Facebook has been a staple in our social media strategies for a long time. Getting your business page on Facebook is a great new way for people to discover your business, and Facebook ads have always been a smart way to target audiences that are most likely to make a purchase. Now, Facebook is offering you ways to supplement your income with options to monetize your Facebook presence.
This starts with implementing ads in more types of videos, including videos that are at least 1 minute in length and Facebook live videos. For content creators, this means a greater payout. For advertisers, it’s a new, possibly more engaging, way to reach an audience. We call that a win-win. To be eligible for revenue on your videos, you must publish them from a page with over 10,000 followers and adhere to Facebook’s Partner Monetization Policies.
Videos are also being monetized from the audience’s end. Facebook’s Stars allow viewers to share their appreciation with a Live content creator. Stars amount to giving a donation or tip to these creators and Facebook is encouraging viewers to use them by giving out free Stars. The platform is also allowing businesses to host paid online events and offer fan subscriptions, which it won’t be taking any revenue from until August.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Content creation isn’t for every business, but it can be an engaging way to reach audiences online. Think through what your business could use this platform for, now or in the future, by exploring topics that relate to your brand. Be aware of the eligibility requirements – you need to have 10,000 followers on your page to earn monetization from videos, and 60,000 Live minutes viewed in the last 60 days to qualify for in-stream ads. These are big requirements for smaller businesses, so we recommend working on your Facebook presence while focusing on other platforms with fewer start-up requirements. Learn more about Facebook monetization and check out their Creator Studio for resources to get started!
Twinsies! TikTok and Twitter Control the Conversation This Week
Twitter and TikTok both expanded options for restricting comments to give creators and businesses more control over the conversations that happen on their page. Let’s start with TikTok: Their new tools are available for anyone who posts content on the platform. Creators can set filters to catch comments that might be problematic. They’ll then have the option to approve these comments manually and have them show on their videos. If a comment isn’t approved, it won’t be shown. Meanwhile, users will be alerted with a dialogue box when they try to leave a comment that appears to violate TikTok’s community guidelines. They can still post these comments, but the dialogue box might push them to edit it first.
On Twitter, the current options for user accounts are being extended to advertisers on the platform. Now, you’ll have the option to limit who can reply to your tweet both when posting or promoting a tweet. You’ll be choosing between whether everyone, people you follow, or just the people mentioned in the tweet (if any) can reply.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
So why would you limit conversations on your promoted tweets? If you took out a newspaper ad, you wouldn’t expect to see it printed next to a negative statement about your business. This new protection guarantees something similar. Your Twitter advertisements won’t show user opinions about your brand unless you want them to. We recommend trying reply restrictions on your next Twitter ad, if not testing them out on your organic Twitter posts. Meanwhile, make sure to follow your supporters or friends in the industry! You’ll be able to select “people you follow” to continue having discussions with this group specifically.
Twitter Goes Visual (Finally!)
First it was Fleets, now it’s full-sized images in your feed! Twitter is slowly coming around to the importance of visual content after years of prioritizing 140-character-or-less quips. This might seem like a small step but it means your followers will see your images without interrupting their scroll, similar to what you’d expect on Instagram. Before, they’d need to tap on your post to see the full content. Now, they’ll see it whether they tap or not.
Will this kill a few “open for a surprise” memes? Sure. But this move makes Twitter more of a visual competitor in the social media space. If you’re posting a single image to Instagram or Facebook, now you can throw it on Twitter for about the same effect. It’s a whole new audience for your visual content – as long as you post it one image at a time. It looks like multiple images still won’t show any image in full. But who knows? Maybe carousels are next!
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Twitter has been experimenting with new features like crazy over the last year. From Spaces to Fleets, we’re excited to see what this platform looks like in the future. If you haven’t started a Twitter account for your business, now is the time. Start with the same content that you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social platforms. Then play with Twitter’s other options – from text-only tweets to Fleets to Spaces – to see how this platform can work for you. If you’re already established on Twitter, start incorporating visual content more, with the knowledge that your followers will be more likely to see the full image while browsing. As Twitter continues to find its place in the social media space, you’ll have an established account to explore new features with.
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.
