The Top Social Media News You Need To Know In August

This week, we'll discuss yet another change to Facebook, social media tips to help jumpstart your brand's content strategy, and it’s already time to start thinking about your content needs for holiday planning.

For more news and trends, be sure to check out my blog. And you can find more of my recent writing here and here.

Facebook Shutting Down Live Shopping Feature

More Facebook changes are on the way. On October 1, Facebook will discontinue its live shopping feature to focus on Reels. Brands will no longer be able to host new or scheduled live shopping events on Facebook, according to the Meta. According to the social media network, brands will still able to use Facebook Live to broadcast live events. However, they will no longer be able to create product playlists or tag products in their Facebook Live videos.

Here’s how Meta views it: "As consumers' viewing behaviors are shifting to short-form video, we are shifting our focus to Reels on Facebook and Instagram, Meta's short-form video product..." If you want to reach and engage people through video, try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram...If you have a shop with checkout and want to host Live Shopping events on Instagram, you can set up Live Shopping on Instagram." 

 Find out more about the shutdown from Meta here.

Tips to Create Engaging Social Media Posts

While platform updates seem to happen every other week, social media has a few constants. Especially when it comes to leaning into social media best practices. This Search Engine Journal article offers ten suggestions for creating engaging social media content. Here are some of my favorites:

• Maintain Authentic Relationships with Your Fans

  • Make sure each social post is purposeful and leads your audience on a journey to learn more about a brand or get excited about their products or services.

• Make Use of a Strong Call To Action (CTA).

  • If a consumer is not ready to buy, brands can direct them to a specific blog post about how to use said product or an Instagram Reel featuring an influencer using the product. A compelling Call To Action (CTA) is essential for any content, especially on social media. Because the feed is already cluttered, using strong copywriting to ensure users don't scroll to other posts is critical.

• Create Platform-specific Content

  • Before brands can create authentic and engaging content, they must first understand why consumers are on that platform in the first place. And brands can stand out by capitalizing on unique features as much as possible. Use a variety of hashtags, both broad and specific, on Facebook and Instagram. When it comes to Twitter, use Twitter Threads to tell a story that’s longer than 280 characters.

Twitter Holiday Planning

As the summer days shorten, the holiday season begins. If you’re a marketer, you’re likely already thinking about planning your content around the holidays. And the social media platforms see this as well. According to Twitter research, conversations around holiday shopping begin on social media as early as August. So the sooner brands join the conversation, the better. And Twitter is an important platform for staying active during this time of year.

Because consumers frequently discuss specific brands and products on social media, the more engaged brands can be, the more likely they are to remain top of mind when it comes to holiday shopping. While gift-giving is a popular topic during the holidays, social media conversations can vary, so it's important to stay on top of what your target audience is talking about. Some more highlights from the data:

• When it comes to brand-related conversations during the holiday season, topics like entertainment and technology overindex.

• If brands want to increase their reach and beat the holiday rush, they should start their holiday conversations as soon as possible.

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read my latest blog post. And I hope there are some actionable items in here that you and your teams can leverage. For more learnings, be sure to check out the rest of my blog!