• Melissa Harvey
• 19 February 2024
• 6 min

Social in Six 80

1. Instagram is reportedly testing carousel posts for Reels 

Post by @oncescuradu

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The story:

• First it was feed posts, then carousels, then Reels, now we’re back to carousel posts…in Reels. 
• TikToks made up of still image carousels are catching on in the app, and Instagram is apparently working on a copycat feature according to app researcher Radu Oncescu. 
• The feature, which lets you post multiple 4:5 still images or videos, is reportedly in testing with certain users and brands, but no official word from Instagram yet. 

So what? 

Consider this a hack to refreshing your content with fairly minimal effort required on your part. Cross-posting from TikTok? Check. Reviving old carousel posts with a dash of sound? Check. Instagram likes it when you adopt its new features and formats, so roll with the punches and have a play around. 

2. Universal Music Group and TikTok are still at odds after UMG pulled its music last month

The story: 

• Universal Music Group (UMG) has withdrawn its music from TikTok as of 1 February this year, following unsuccessful negotiations with the platform on compensation and safeguards regarding generative AI usage. 
• TikTok says this is a “false narrative and rhetoric” and is standing its ground, meaning videos using music from some of UMG’s biggest talent like Taylor Swift, Drake and Adele are now muted. 
• TikTok says it has “artist-first” agreements with every other label and publisher, but there’s no word yet on whether UMG and TikTok have been able to reach a resolution.   

So what? 

In the grand scheme of things, this is a pretty major update – but brands, rest assured that the impact on your TikToks is (or should be) minimal, because the Commerical Music Library remains unaffected.  

There is a real opportunity here, though, for brands to partner up with affected artists to try and fill that silence, or else get involved in some of the many trends that have been sparked by users getting creative in response to the fallout. 

3. Meta’s video ad tool lets you keep better tabs on your conversions 

The story: 

• Meta’s introduced a new video ad measurement tool called Engaged View, focusing on delayed response actions like website visits after viewing at least 10 seconds (or 97%) of a video ad. 
• Advertisers can now measure conversions occurring within one day of a video ad play, offering more detailed response reporting and helping understand conversion activity based on video ad campaigns. 
• The move aligns with Meta’s efforts to enhance conversion tracking for video ads as in-stream video content consumption continues to ramp up. 

So what? 

This tool could be a bit of a lifesaver for helping to show off how your ads aren’t just for likes but actually deliver real-world sales. It can be tricky to measure and track just how accurate or effective your social ads are, and Meta is trying to make that a little bit easier.  

4. TikTok is working on a new Search shortcut for your phone home screen 

The story: 

• Some users have spotted a new pop-up in the app prompting them to download a TikTok Search shortcut for their mobile home screen.  
• The new shortcut isn’t technically a new app, it just takes you straight to the TikTok in-app search page when tapped.  
• Discovery is already a big deal on TikTok. Adobe’s recent research found almost half of users and 64% of Gen Z users said they’ve used TikTok as a search engine.  

So what? 

Wake-up call! Hey, it’s us, telling you to treat TikTok as a serious part of your digital strategy. Now’s the time to get your Search and Shop game strong – even a little SEO best practice can go a long way, like making sure you’re using trending sounds and including keywords in your TikTok on-screen captions, descriptions and hashtags. And don’t forget spoken keywords – they help the video rank higher in Search.  

5. LinkedIn has launched a new ad feature designed to simplify action tracking on your website  

The story: 

• LinkedIn has launched Website Actions, a new ad tracking option that uses the LinkedIn Insight Tag on websites to connect in-stream activity to web responses for improved ad measurement. 
• In essence, it means B2B marketers can attribute and create ad audiences from website activity like button clicks without needing in-depth levels of coding knowledge.  
• Website Actions will provide data to assist in retargeting, measuring actual campaign impact, and optimising your ad budget to maximise results.   

So what? 

This is big news for proving the power of ad creative and, more importantly, the ROI of those late-night campaign strategy sessions. Utilise this feature for A/B testing and vary your ad creative to see what performs the best. Great for paid ads managers, maybe not so great for creatives, who might find they have a little more work to do. 

6. Creator Targeting is X’s latest initiative to attract advertisers and creators to the platform  

The story: 

• Creator Targeting, a new ad solution from X, allows brands to sponsor selected creator content in the app. 
• Advertisers on X will soon be able to use the self-serve X Ads Manager to run ads against a curated list of premium content creators, displaying pre-rolls on their chosen creators’ content. 
• It’s an extension of X’s Amplify initiative, which strives to integrate more video content into the platform by attracting high-profile creators, and incentivising them to get posting, in turn enhancing X’s video inventory and engagement. 

So what? 

Like any other ad, pre-roll ads can be distracting or cause fatigue for viewers who just want to get to the video. But it seems X is offering brands the opportunity to serve something meaningful to those viewers by letting advertisers be specific with which creator videos – and eventually one single creator video – they want to run ads against. This could be a game-changer for those specific campaigns that a particular creator’s content would pair well with.