Social video platforms are constantly innovating to attract more ad dollars and audience eyeballs. Here at Pixability, we keep our ear to the ground to keep our customers in the know. Check out the latest updates you need to get up to speed on:
YouTube: In-app sharing and messaging
YouTube rolled out an experimental feature to all users. Now, every viewer on mobile can share videos with friends and chat within a new tab without ever leaving the YouTube app. As we’ve previously covered, social video platforms continue to mimic features found on other platforms — with this update, YouTube now offers a direct messaging experience that’s similar to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. As a result, users will likely spend more time on the platform, and watch time will increase as users share their favorite clips with friends.
Facebook: Accidental clicks crackdown
Facebook will no longer charge advertisers for accidental clicks. Now, if a user backtracks within two seconds of clicking on a mobile ad, the advertiser will not be charged for the click. While click-through rates will likely decrease, the move improves transparency between Facebook and its advertising partners.
Facebook also changed its video strategy with the rollout of a new video tab — keep an eye out for a deep dive from our CTO next week.
Instagram: Go live with a friend
Instagram is testing a feature that will allow users to add friends for a joint livestream. Facebook Live added the feature in May, so while Instagram’s split-screen feature is limited to select users for now, it’s likely it will be rolled out to all users in the near future.
Twitter: Automatic promoted tweets
Twitter is testing a new ad product to automatically promote a user or brand’s tweets for $99/month, with access to enhanced analytics. The offer is compelling for busy marketers, as it’s low cost and requires no new advertising content.
Snapchat: Advanced Snapchat Ads Manager
Snapchat is taking a page from Facebook’s Power Editor and launching a more sophisticated ads manager to help larger advertisers quickly deploy ad campaigns, particularly campaigns with many different video ads.
Pinterest: Video Ads for all
Previously available only to select users, video ads are now available for all marketers on Pinterest. Marketers around the globe can now place Pinterest video ads against searches and within the Pinterest feed. Moat and Nielsen have partnered with Pinterest to ensure accurate and transparent campaign data.