Author: emilyclunn

I am a multimedia major at ACU with a minor in business administration.

Namaste, Snapchat!

As Snapchat sought to expand its’ user base, they questioned what it takes to reach a broader audience. The answer?

Their native language.

With this in mind, Snapchat launched a beta test with 8 new language options including the following:

  • Hindi
  • Marathi
  • Gujarati
  • Punjab
  • Filipino
  • Vietnamese
  • Urdu
  • Malay

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Looking further, the majority of these languages are primarily spoken in India, a growing market for social media. “With Facebook now serving more users in India than in the US. India is also the second biggest market, in terms of users, for both Instagram and LinkedIn, and given it’s the second most populous nation on Earth (behind China) – and the second-biggest smartphone market.” – Andrew Hutchinson, Socialmediatoday.com.

Snapchat was originally made for iOS devices which caused problems in reaching Android users. They struggled to make a version of the app for other devices, leaving many foreign markets out of the loop. Where India is not lacking in population, they are lacking in advancement. In2017, Evan Spiegel, CEO, allegedly said he did not have intentions of expanding the app’s reach”into poor countries like India”. Although Spiegel denied making the comment, it made a bold statement that people couldn’t forget.

There is some truth in the statement. Having India as a strong market for Snapchat would significantly increase users, but before that can happen, they need to cater to the needs of that market. Whether it be adding their native languages or making the app more functional with their technology, changes should be made. Snapchat has made a big step towards foreign markets and I think it only goes up from here.

 

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/snapchat-launches-beta-test-in-eight-different-languages/549789/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/snap-inc-releases-better-than-expected-q4-numbers-showing-growth-in-users/516483/

Is TikTok’s Time Running Out?

Introducing new social media platforms to the world is a hard thing to do. Many come and go, but only few catch on and are able to sustain a good amount of users.

Without Vine on the App Store, similar apps have come to market and failed. Recently, I have seen many ads on my Facebook for TikTok, an app for “real short videos.”

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“The fourth most downloaded non-game app for all of 2018, TikTok was the No. 3 app globally in terms of new installs across both stores during January, and was the No. 1 non-game app in the United States last month.”

– Oliver Yeh, Founder at Sensor Tower

One way many new apps stay popular is by partnering with brands and having paid advertisements pop up on users’ feed every so often. According to Digiday, TikTok introduced its first app install ad from food delivery company GrubHub last August. This was expected as Musical.ly, before merging with TikTok, was testing out ad units as well.

Unfortunately, as much as in-app advertising helps the company, users are often very dissatisfied and annoyed when ads are displayed. It interrupts the experience and can make the user feel like they are constantly bombarded with marketing schemes.

Maybe this will prove to be true for TikTok as well. Users have gone to twitter to complain about the new ads.

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Knowing this, we can only wait to see if TikTok will stick around, but it might just be the wrong place for advertising in the social media world.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-is-rising-but-will-it-be-a-relevant-platform-for-brands/549376/

https://sensortower.com/blog/tiktok-downloads-one-billion

https://digiday.com/marketing/tiktok-quietly-testing-ads/

Managing Facebook Ad Campaigns Made Easier with Excel

Social media advertising can be hard to manage without organizational tools and planners. Having posting dates planned out ahead of time is a necessary factor in successful advertising.

Facebook Ads Manager for Excel allows businesses to better collect data from their campaigns on Facebook. With this feature, businesses can create a single report that includes the data from ad accounts and allows them to customize the data the way they like.

Features of Facebook Ads Manager for Excel:

  • Download performance data from your ad accounts.You can report on the performance of your campaigns, ad sets or ads and see breakdowns by demographics, actions taken on ads or time. You can also filter data based on date ranges, delivery status, ad objectives, placements and more.

  • Create a single report to download your ad performance data from multiple ad accounts.You don’t need to export reports from each of your ad accounts, and you don’t need to be a developer or work with a Facebook Marketing partner.

  • Create and save custom templates so you can quickly run the reports you need. You can create and download results from your Facebook ads in a report. You can also choose from preset templates.

  • Refresh the data in your reports as often as you need to.You can refresh your data once a day, or every 15 minutes.

  • Make use of Excel’s tools on your Facebook ad reports.Take your ad performance data and create your own analysis using Excel’s pivot tables or other tools.

This tool makes it easy to understand when the best times are to advertise and how your audience responds to certain ads. Knowing the most effective placement of a company’s ads will give them the power to create more successful campaigns time after time. Using Excel, you can compare the success of each ad to know what works for your brand and what doesn’t.

Audience demographics and engagement will be easier to track and keep record of, especially for those who manage multiple accounts at once. Instead of sporting individual reports for each ad, now it is as simple as keeping one single document.

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/248094205618729

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/using-excels-facebook-ads-manager-to-transform-your-ad-reporting/548717/

Snapchat Celebrates Black History Month with Virtual Art Gallery

Last week, Snapchat launched a special Lens that allows users to see and experience the artwork for black millennial artists. This was created as a way to honor Black History Month. Not only does this generate new exposure for these artists, but it also serves as a reminder to appreciate and celebrate the reason for Black History Month. This virtual art gallery features artists such as Gianni Lee,Bianca Pastel, Jessica Spence, Jameel Mohammed, and Paracosm, with music from Ivy Sole. To get to this immersive gallery, you can click on the rainbow-colored Lens in the carousel within the app, or you can scan in this Snapcode.

You are actually able to get a closer view of this artwork by stepping forward on real life, as the camera will zoom in to the pieces.

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Snapchat’s use of interactive media has had a profound impact on the way people are able to view the world around them and how they communicate with their friends. I remember the day snapchat first introduced Lenses, also known as filters, in 2015. All of my friends were laughing in classes trying out the dog face and the face swap features. Now, Snapchat has stepped up the game with animated bitmojis and AR experiences.

This art gallery will be available through February, so Snapchat, reportedly, will be offering a sign-up option for creators who’d like their work to be considered for the program.

From a publicity standpoint, I think Snaochat is making a good choice by honoring such an important month. I can only imagine the attention they have received since launching this feature. The use of video and graphics in the Lens is simply amazing.

 

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/snapchats-launching-new-ar-art-installation-project

https://mashable.com/article/snapchat-virtual-reality-black-history-month-art-gallery/#1iy.PjujEGq6

Instagram’s New Self-Harm Safety Measures

On Thursday, February 7th, Instagram announced changes to their safety policies in effort to make its platform a more wholesome place for all users. They have committed to stop users from posting pictures relating to self-harm, whether graphic or not.

Previously, Instagram focused on allowing self-harming users to share their pictures, hoping that it would allow them to get the attention and help they needed. In reviews by the Centre for Mental Health and Save.org, they found it essential for young people to have a safe space to openly discuss their self-harm experiences and to connect with others that may be going through similar troubles. With their new safety measures in place, they have lessened the likelihood of unintentionally prompting self-harm, as pictures may be triggers for other users.

“Our aim is to have no graphic self-harm or graphic suicide related content on Instagram and to significantly reduce – with the goal of removing – all self-harm and suicide imagery from hashtags, search, the explore tab or as recommended content, while still ensuring we support those using Instagram to connect with communities of support.” – Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram

The changes include:

  1. Not allowing graphic depictions of self-harm, even if previously allowed, and even removing pictures when they are reported.
  2. Not showing non-graphic, self-harm related posts in searches, hashtags or the explore tab. Although these efforts will be in effect, they will not be removing this type of content as a whole to avoid stigmatizing those who may be posting self-harm related content as a cry for help.
  3. Connecting users who post self-harm related content with organizations that will help them and getting them resources they need.
  4. Continuing to consult with researches to see what more can be done to help moderate this content. This may include something like the blurring of non-graphic, self-harm related pictures so that they are not immediately visible to users.

What does this mean for the social media industry?

I believe this is a step in the right direction for screening this kind of content. Instagram has always considered the effects of this content of its users, but they have now changed their idea on what it means for their platform to be a safe space. I have never really seen any of this graphic content on Instagram, but I hope this change in safety measures makes a difference in someone’s newsfeed.

https://instagram-press.com/blog/2019/02/07/changes-were-making-to-do-more-to-support-and-protect-the-most-vulnerable-people-who-use-instagram/

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-will-now-remove-any-self-harm-related-images-as-part-of-new-safet/547947/