New Networks. New AI Tools.
Facebook turned 20 last month. Twitter/X turns 18 this month. Teens who quickly adapted to TikTok are now graduating college. Yeah, time flies. And as Einstein taught us, time is relative. A year in social media marketing must be the equivalent to at least 50 years in non-digital media. We could easily miss the dawn of the next big thing while figuring out Meta’s latest targeting options (updated this month). On that note, we’ve compiled some novel social media trends that deserve our attention.
New Networks: At the very least, keep these on your radar.
Threads: Built by the Instagram team, Threads is sold as a safer alternative to the free-for-all that is Twitter/X. The big difference is that Threads gives users more control. You can control who replies to or mentions you and limit replies to select groups. You can also post longer messages (550 characters along with photos, links, video up to 5 min.). According to Business of Apps, Threads has 130 million active users – more than one-third of which are ages 18-24. Although ad-free at the moment, Axios reported last year that we can expect ads to be introduced when Threads reaches a critical mass.
Lemon8: Released in the U.S. last year by the creators of TikTok, this new lifestyle network allows users to curate the content they see based on specific topics much like Pinterest. What’s different is it allows users to engage with each other about that content. Although currently ad-free, Lemon8 may represent an opportunity to engage with audiences around a particular niche/topic. The point of the platform is to help users enjoy more relevant content, so general mass messaging is not going to work here. While Lemon8 has gained a lot of publicity in 2023, it remains to be seen if it will catch on here in the west.
Bluesky: Initially an invitation-only platform introduced by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, the network just recently became open to the public and gained 2 million users in just two months. TechCrunch describes it as a bare-bones Twitter where users can create posts with photos and text up to 256 characters and search and follow other Bluesky users. Like the advent of Threads, the new public version of Bluesky is clearly tied to a perceived need for an alternative to Elon Musk’s X. While it’s unlikely to become a marketing driven entity any time soon, it may grow into an important place to engage with specific audiences.
New AI Tools: Accelerating your creative content.
Meta AI features for advertisers: New “Generate Backgrounds” allows you to change up the look of product images. Based on the image you upload, you’ll see preview samples with AI-generated backgrounds of simple customized colors and patterns. Another AI feature, image expansion, will automatically adjust images to fit different aspect ratios for various ad types such as feed vs. reels.
Generative AI can also suggest up to six different text variations in Meta Ads Manager. You can also choose to display different combinations of text to different people to see which ones drive better responses.
According to Meta, they plan to expand generative-AI powered features, including customer support features, now being tested on Messenger and WhatsApp.
TikTok Creative Assistant: Released in February, Creative Assistant is described as “an AI-powered virtual assistant designed to intelligently collaborate with brands and creators throughout their creative journey on TikTok.” Newly available assistance includes:
- Guiding you through creative best practices
- Helping you conduct research and analyze inspirational and top ads based on data sources on Creative Center
- Helping you write and refine your TikTok scripts
For DIY marketers and specialists alike, Creative Assistant is surely a time-saver and a means to developing more powerful TikTok creatives.
Final thought: As social media continues to rapidly evolve, let common sense and key data points be your guide while also being unafraid to innovate. Allocating your resources where they’ll have the most impactful and measurable effect on your brand and your bottom line never goes out of style.
