#SocialSkim: Facebook's Warning to Marketers; LinkedIn Smart Replies:

In this week's 'Skim: why Facebook's latest algorithm change serves as a stark reminder to advertisers that they don't hold all the power; Facebook introduces a Pinterest-esque "Sets" feature; LinkedIn upgrades messaging—and your productivity—with smart replies; why Snapchat could soon became a legitimate source of referral traffic; all about Twitter's new "transparency center"; why social commerce is coming and your brand needs to be ready; three tips to optimize YouTube videos; and much more...

Skim for this week's social network news in a nutshell!

1. The Facebook algorithm change heard around the world

The social network this week quietly rolled out a six-country test that had all non-ad Page posts taken out of the traditional News Feed and buried in Facebook's newly launched (and practically hidden) Explore tab.

As a result, many publishers' referral traffic plummeted 60-80%, and engagement on some Pages in the six-country test block (Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Slovakia, Serbia, Guatemala, and Cambodia) declined four-fold from their usual levels.

2. Facebook gets Pinterest-ing with new "Sets" of postsFacebook's VP of News Feed said the test won't expand further—music to most social media marketers' ears, certainly. But we think marketers should considers this latest experiment a notice that even though the social network can be an integral source of traffic and growth for brands, there's no guarantee that traffic won't all go up in flames. If Facebook decides users would rather see only friends' posts in their News Feeds, you bet the cost of reaching your fans will increase.

Pinterest fans could find pleasure in Facebook's latest feature test. The social network is experimenting with what it calls "Sets," themed groups of posts that let users collect various status updates, photos, and videos, and share them as a grouped collection with everyone, or friends of their choosing.

The feature could potentially make it easier for businesses to target more niche segments of their fans by posting only for specific groups of leads or fans, while Facebook could eventually monetize the product by offering a special button to let users add a product to their "Sets."

Facebook is likely a way off from stealing Pinterest's thunder in this space, but if it can happen to Snapchat, it can happen to anyone.

3. LinkedIn introduces smart reply technology to messages

LinkedIn upgraded its messaging platform to make it easier for users to respond quickly, hopefully increasing engagement and use of the platform's messenger function. A bit like the iPhone, the company has used machine-learning to suggest up to three replies to users based on the content of the message.

The goal is to provide LinkedIn users with quick, relevant options for feedback to their networks, and the LinkedIn team says the replies will become even more personalized in the future. And, for now, your smart replies will be limited to English.

4. Snapchat could soon play a big part in your referral traffic

Thanks to a new update from the social messaging app, iOS users are now able to directly share links from other apps with individual friends or groups of users on Snapchat via the iOS share sheet.

This new ease of sharing of external links on the platform means users no longer have to copy and paste a URL; as a result, websites could gain traction in referral traffic from Snapchat itself.

5. Social media ad spending skyrockets, but which platform leads the pack (and why)?

New features and capabilities introduced by social media apps, such as Snapchat's Snap Map and Instagram's Stories, have evidently inspired new confidence among advertisers, with those two social networks benefiting from a 73% and 55% increase in ad spend, respectively.

4C Insight's data suggests that the new products helped marketers better understand how people shop, as well as providing a full-scale canvas to test creatives with little risk and cost. Facebook and Twitter placed third and fourth in ad spend growth—27% and 26%, respectively—thanks to increased measurement capabilities and a surge in travel industry spending.

6. You can now PayPal friends in Messenger

Facebook just got a little bit closer to everyone's wallet. PayPal has teamed up with the social network to develop a function that allows users to pay, and request money, from friends directly on Facebook Messenger.

PayPal has also gone chatbot, and Facebook users can now receive support regarding their payments or accounts directly within Messenger itself. In the age of Venmo, it might have been PayPal's best way to reach a Millennial crowd to ensure its longevity, but it's also no surprise given Facebook's influx of former PayPal executives.

7. Social commerce is coming

Changes in consumer behavior on both mobile and social media suggest the West's dependence on major online retailers like Amazon for commerce needs might be fading in favor of a model more like Asia's—reflecting WeChat's incredible success as a commerce platform.

Following the arrival of a plethora of music, news, and sports content on social, consumers are spending more time on the platforms per day, likely indicating they're using them to fulfill activities that typically lie outside of their original scope of use. Mobile is also now the primary device for shopping, meaning consumers are more comfortable researching products and clicking order than before.

That mix of changes seems to be paving the path toward a vast opportunity for brands to use social as a selling tool. Time to be on the lookout for what's ahead.

8. Where and when it might be worth investing in Snapchat

A new survey from Greenberg Strategy could shed some light on when it might be, and might not be, worth investing in that brand-building Snapchat geofilter your social media team's been contemplating. As it turns out, it might be as simple as location, location, location.

The survey reveals a massive gap between use of the social media app at parties and in restaurants versus at sports stadiums and airports: 81% of users at parties reportedly use the app, but only 41% of those at sporting events do so. Also surprising? Though the 12-21-year-old crowd uses Snapchat at school at a rate of 64%, only 34% of those 22 or older use it at work. But where does the mall, concerts, or cinema kick in? Check out the full list!

9. Three YouTube video optimization tips for marketers

Getting the most out of YouTube, whether for product tutorials, expert Q&A sessions, or videos from your corporate events, isn't always as easy as just posting a video and giving it a title.

Marketers can use YouTube's more advanced features to their benefit—from adding a location to your videos so that users can search for it based on their location and changing embedding parameters so users don't click away from your site after viewing a video, to quick rules to optimizing your videos' titles and metadata for increased visibility.

Social Media Examiner's got an essential to-do list for marketers that want to generate great leads and increase engagement on the platform.

#SocialSkim: Facebook Tests Résumé Feature; New LinkedIn Video Ads:

This week's 'Skim: Facebook tests a full-fledged résumé feature for users, also acquires popular feel-good social media app tbh; all you need to know about LinkedIn's brand new mobile video ads; why you shouldn't miss out on LinkedIn Website Demographics; Vine founder's addictive new social trivia app that could skyrocket to the top of the charts; Facebook launches food delivery ordering; why your employees could be more powerful than paid influencers; eight great ways to improve your Instagram Stories; and much more...

Skim to stay a step ahead!

1. Facebook takes to recruitment with LinkedIn-like résumé feature

It's no secret that Facebook would be happy to take a chunk of LinkedIn's professional user base, and a recently surfaced screenshot suggests the social network is ready to do just that. Facebook's apparently working on a way for users to build and maintain a resume or CV on their profiles that outlines their education, experience, contact information, and specific projects.

It's not the first time that Facebook has dug into the professional networking space. Users can already include education and work history in their profiles, but this is the first time a test appears to go as far as including a "resume" section. No word on whether this means such a capability will roll out to all users, but we don't have a reason to think otherwise.

2. LinkedIn brings autoplay video ads to mobile

The professionals' social network introduced a native video capability for users just over two months ago, and marketers will be able to place mobile ads as Sponsored Content on the new feature starting in 2018.

Advertisers will be able to upload their videos via Campaign Manager, with audience targeting options remaining the same as those already available for other LinkedIn ads. For now, available metrics will include view count as well as a breakdown of views by percentage of video viewed, with new metrics to come once the closed beta is complete.

LinkedIn might be behind the times in video, but that doesn't, by any means, make this move insignificant for B2B marketers.

3. Facebook buys its way to positivity with acquisition of tbh

Chart-topping social app tbh, which encourages users to provide anonymous, self-esteem-boosting compliments to their friends, was acquired by Facebook this week.

The app is only nine weeks old, but its 5+ million downloads in that short time apparently impressed Facebook enough to purchase it and bring tbh's four-person team on board as Facebook employees. tbh will remain a standalone app, but it should have more resources thanks to gigantesque Facebook.

It's unclear at this point, however, whether Facebook has grand plans for expansion, or this was simply a quick snatch before Snapchat had a chance to act.

4. LinkedIn Website Demographics: Everything marketers need to know

Setting up LinkedIn Website Demographics is key to helping your brand get more out of the platform and provide exactly the types of insights about your audience and website visitors to effectively retarget them with LinkedIn Ads. But how does one set it all up?

If you haven't quite ventured into the LinkedIn advertising, creating an account for your business and selecting your first ad format is just the beginning. From placing LinkedIn's Insight tag onto your website so visitor data can be collected, to drilling down and creating audiences for specific segments of your website traffic and retargeting them as desired, all the details you need are at Social Media Examiner.

5. The creators of Vine have a new app, and it's the freshest thing we've seen in a while

Introducing HQ, a new trivia app from the founders of Vine that blends the fun of Facebook Live with the addiction of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The iPhone-only app has two daily "tune in" times when users can access live trivia games, in which they can compete to answer the questions for their chance to win cash prizes.

Players who answer a question correctly within 10 seconds advance to the next round; those who answered incorrectly are still able to comment and watch until the end.

With Hollywood production value, a sense of urgency, and an addictive, twice-daily livestream, HQ might just prove to be one of the freshest, and social, ideas for apps we've seen in a while.

6. How micro influencers can help your brand find a niche

As organic reach continues its decline on social networks, big brands can afford to mitigate the problem by increasing their budget for influencer marketing. But, due to budget constraints, many small and midsize businesses, as well as those with more niche B2B audiences, often fall to the wayside without a solution to stretch their dollar as far.

Unity Influence recently raised $1 million to bolster its automated micro influencer platform that should give smaller brands the ability to seek out niche influencers in their industries to benefit from higher engagement rates (at a lower cost) than those of big-name influencers.

The most attractive part? The company charges only $200 per campaign, bringing influencer marketing into reach of brands that were previously put off by costs in the thousands of dollars.

7. Hungry but too tired to get off the couch? Facebook's got you covered

Just when we thought it impossible, Facebook found yet a new way to keep users on its app: food delivery. The social network has officially rolled out the ability for US users to start a food-delivery order directly from a restaurant's Facebook page, a move that might see more people searching for, and discovering, restaurants via Facebook, yet still drive traffic back to one of Facebook's partners' delivery platforms, like GrubHub and DoorDash.

Users who choose to begin an order on Facebook will be redirected via an in-app browser to a partner's delivery service. The social network is also partnering directly with big chains like Chipotle, Five Guys, and Panera to redirect users to their delivery platforms.

The new feature isn't a huge step toward taking on food delivery services like Seamless since Facebook isn't serving up the ordering platform itself, but it might indicate where the social network hopes to go, and grow.

8. Why your employees should be your social media advocates

Research from SocialReacher finds that a brand's own employees will play an increasingly important role in influencer marketing in the coming years, and that's something your social media marketing team needs to consider.

Employees have not only the opportunity to share your business with new audiences but also the ability to do so in a credible way that external influencers often cannot. Consumers trust branded content shared by family and friends more than advertisers, and the surprisingly significant reach of your employees' social media accounts could play a major role in driving your message.

Check out the full infographic to see how employee advocacy on social media can drive engagement and awareness for your company.

9. Eight easy ways to enhance your Instagram Stories

Ever missed the 24-hour window Instagram gives you to post photo and video content from your phone's camera roll as a Story? Or recorded a video at a trade event or conference that just doesn't fit to Instagram Stories' specs?

Fear no more. Social Media Examiner has an exhaustive list of eight amazing apps to not only fix these headaches but also help kick your brand's Instagram Stories up a notch—from adding animated text overlays and converting videos from landscape to portrait, to making video collages and editing your vertical videos. Check out all the ways to wow your Instagram audience!

#SocialSkim: LinkedIn's New Sales Navigator, Snapchat's Transformative Feature

This week: Snapchat's feature that will transform how people use the app and how businesses will be discovered; LinkedIn's upgrade of its Sales Navigator, and what it means for marketing and sales; which social network just surpassed Netflix for online video viewing; Twitter's new bookmarking feature to help users stay organized; how and why to use two-person Instagram Live Stories; Taylor Swift to launch her own social app; how social media could improve teenager self-esteem; more...

Skim to stay in tip-top social media shape!

1. Snapchat's Context Cards will transform the way people use the app

Snapchat introduced Context Cards, a new feature that enables users to swipe up on Stories and Snaps with its generic venue-specific geofilters to retrieve detailed information about a specific location—whether a restaurant, bar, hotel, or county fair.

Context Cards populate relevant stuff that users want to see, like reviews, comments, directions, contact information, and more from Snap partners TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Michelin, and OpenTable, among others. Oh, and users will also be able to hail an Uber or Lyft with a few clicks to get to that spot.

It's a brave new world for Snapchat to explore, blending the added value that apps like TripAdvisor and Google Maps provide, with the word-of-mouth and implied recommendations provided by users' most important digital reference group: their Snapchat friends.

2. LinkedIn's Campaign Manager and Sales Navigator become one

LinkedIn's research shows that marketing and sales teams don't work as hand-in-hand as we'd like, meaning marketers' ability to precisely target the leads the salespeople are working on is less than ideal.

Fear not: the professional social network will now integrate its Sales Navigator platform, used by sales teams to track leads with its Campaign Manager so marketers can more effectively target and advertise to the leads their colleagues are pursuing.

Marketers will still control creative and budget, but they'll also now be able to market directly to the companies their sales reps have pegged as leads, and the sales team will be able to get important insights into how prospects are interacting with marketing campaigns.

3. Guess who just surpassed Netflix for online video?

YouTube might still be the most watched video service in the world by a very wide margin, but Facebook just clawed passed Netflix to take the number two spot.

A recent study from Ampere Analysis shows that although YouTube boasts double Facebook's number of eyeballs watching video, Zuckerberg's social network video content is being watched at least once per month by 32.8% of Internet users in the study.

Facebook's Instagram also made a surprise visit to the top 10 with 15.9% of Internet users watching videos on the platform—coming in at number four, just behind Netflix.

Netflix users might certainly be more highly involved in the service than Facebook users in theirs, and watch for longer, but the study shows that Facebook is becoming a major player in online video—and marketers must prepare.

4. What marketers need to know about two-person Instagram live video

Instagram is in the process of rolling out the ability for users to bring a second guest into their Instagram Live Stories, meaning you have a new platform to show off your products or services with live Q&A sessions with experts, livestreams with influencers, interviews, customer testimonials, and much more.

The new feature could help brands get more personal with their followers and communicate in a more familiar, less salesy manner than traditional marketing tactics. But just how exactly can your company plan effectively for a two-person live video on Instagram, and what steps are important to take prior to pressing "go live"? Social Media Examiner's got the answers.

5. Facebook's new AR tool will let you attend concerts and sports matches with friends

The social network plans to release an app called "Venues" next year that will let users with augmented reality gear watch live concerts, attend movie premieres, and view live sports matches, "all around the world with friends" and others.

The app, produced by Facebook's own Oculus system, could spell trouble for third-party AR apps like FoxVR, since the Facebook-produced app might be given preferential treatment in the Oculus ecosystem.

Facebook's proclaimed goal is to get 1 billion people involved in AR next year. Why leave the comfort of your own home?

6. Twitter's new bookmarking feature sure to please the masses

Ever come across an article tweeted by a crazy that you want to save to read later out of pure curiosity, but been hesitant to favorite it with Twitter's heart symbol in fear that your followers think you agree with it? Soon you won't have to.

Twitter is developing a bookmarking feature, for now dubbed Save for Later, that will let users create a separate list of items they want to refer to in the future. Such a bookmarking feature, already launched on Facebook years ago, has been frequently requested by Twitter users, and it appears the social network is willing to give fans what they're asking for. Now if only it could turn around Twitter's seemingly endless bad luck.

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Keith Coleman  @kcoleman

Fresh out of HackWeek and coming soon — a new way to save tweets to read later. Been a top request (!) The team would love your feedback as they dial in the design! #SaveForLater  https://twitter.com/jesarshah/status/917538205376770048 …

8:27 PM - Oct 9, 2017

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Twitter Ads info and privacy

7. Messenger could lose out to Snapchat and Instagram by 2021

eMarketer has revised its growth expectations downward by 9.4 million users for Facebook's Messenger after a study's latest figures showed more robust engagement among teens on Snapchat and Instagram.

That's not to say Messenger won't still dominate the chat market, but it could suggest Messenger needs some design work and new ways to keep its youngest users engaged.

eMarketer's also suggested that the number of apps used by Americans will decline next year as consumers "consolidate their behavior into fewer apps," particularly likely with apps like Messenger and WhatsApp, which are slowly integrating new features that make it less necessary for users to leave the apps' environment.

8. All you need to know about YouTube in 2017

YouTube can sometimes feel like a world apart from other social platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, but as those latter networks continue to push farther into video, it's imperative that your brand understands just how tremendous YouTube's reach is, how it's becoming more social, and what type of content takes the cake among its users.

Filmora's infographic hits the nail on the head with the key stats, from what percentage of viewing comes from mobile devices and what terms are most searched for to whether bloggers, gamers, or scientists and technologists boast the most content on the platform. Consider it a crash course before your team strikes YouTube off its social media strategic plan.

9. Living that Swift life: Taylor Swift to launch a social media app dedicated to her

Look what you made her do. The country-turned-pop princess has announced a late 2017 launch of The Swift Life, a dedicated social media app to let Swift fans connect with each other, see exclusive pictures and video, and just generally follow her every move.

The Swift Life will feature Taylor-inspired emojis (called Taymojis), replies from the singer herself, and the chance for users to listen Swift's music via the app.

It could all be tied to Swift's and Ticketmaster's recent announcement of a sort of pay-to-play ticketing system that puts fans that have purchased the singer's albums and interacted with the Swift brand on social media further up in the online queue for concert tickets. We'll just have to wait and see.

10. Just a question of time: Instagram launches Facebook integration for Stories

You know that top section on your Facebook app that's filled with empty circles where your friends' Stories are supposed to go? Those might soon be filled. Instagram has rolled out the ability for its American users to cross-post their Instagram Stories directly to Facebook, and Facebook might be working on a tool to do the opposite, too.

The move follows Facebook's struggle to make Stories work on its platform, so apparently it decided it was time to take advantage of Instagram's 250 million-plus Stories users, an impressive number that's surpassed Snapchat's despite Instagram Stories' much shorter existence.

11. We'll wrap with a diverging view: social media's positive influence on teenagers

We're bombarded—seemingly weekly—with stories about the dangers social media can pose for its youngest, most impressionable users. But can media, and particularly one that's social in nature, be an absolutely good or bad thing?

Some academics and therapists think the overwhelming number of warnings about social media's negative influence on young users' mental health overshadow to a great extent the benefits such platforms can have.

Some teens, they argue, experience boosts in self-esteem when viewing their own Facebook profiles, which often highlight their best traits and help users remember what's best about themselves. Other studies show that social media serves as a critical source of social and emotional support for countless teens that they can't find elsewhere, particularly for marginalized teens in difficult circumstances.

Social media is an integral part of society—and here to stay—so parents, teachers, and mentors must be ready to guide youth on how, and how not, to use social media wisely.