There’s a lot going on in the social media world this month. I wanted to get all the information out to you in a timely manner so this blog will cover all of the top news in social media for September 2020.

Instagram Reels

 

Most of you probably know about Instagram Reels by now, but for those who do not, this is a new feature available on Instagram. It’s another way to post on Instagram, so now you have your regular feed posts, Instagram stories, IGTV, and reels. So many ways to share information on Instagram. This is Instagram’s way of competing with TikTok. As of right now, the videos must be 30 seconds or less. Music is available just like with TikTok unless you’re a business account. It allows you to appear on the Explore page, which previously was really difficult to get featured on unless you were a verified or celebrity account. Check out reels and see if you like it better than TikTok or not.

Pinterest Stories

 

Who knew Pinterest stories were coming? They are pretty new so they’re not available to everybody yet. They’re only available to businesses right now and not all businesses have access yet. Pinterest is still rolling them out. You can add photos or videos up to 60 seconds. They’re actually calling them “story pins” and once they’re posted some of the terminology is referring to them as “pages”. That’s not confusing at all. You can have up to 20. Pinterest is recommending 5 story pins at a time. So, if you have a business page on Pinterest, you can now add stories. Get excited.

Video Podcasts

 

Video podcasts are officially a thing. This isn’t to be confused with vlogging, which is a video blog. Simply put, a video podcast is a regular podcast with a video element. I think of a video podcast as more of a stationary video with just you, your microphone, your material, and maybe a guest you’re interviewing whereas a vlog is more of a dynamic video. Think static versus dynamic. You can of course interview others on a podcast which will add some depth to the recording, but come on. Video podcast….vlog….six of one, half a dozen of the other in my opinion. 

Facebook Business Suite

 

Facebook has announced its new Facebook Business Suite. It’s a new app designed to make it easier for businesses to manage their pages and profiles across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. It can be accessed on desktop through business.facebook.com so basically business manager. The difference is that they are going to launch an independent app. You can access business manager through the new app. Right now, if you log on to mobile you will see the existing pages manager app and you’ll have the option to join business suite instead. To me, this seems like a lot of added process to make something that was really easy as complicated as possible. 

Facebook is Cracking Down on Copyrighted Images

 

Facebook announced this week that they are cracking down on the use of copyrighted images. They will now allow people to claim ownership of images and issue takedown requests. Oh yes. They’re starting out with just a few partners to begin with but they will eventually roll it out to everyone. Owners of images can moderate their use not only on Facebook but on Instagram as well. The biggest issue I can foresee with this is that it could possibly limit your ability to repost on Instagram. It might not so don’t stress out yet. I’m sure they’ll come up with some sort of solution that allows the owner to decide whether it can or can’t be reposted. I just wanted to let you know so you aren’t surprised when it comes up later. 

 

Get Excited

 

That’s all the top breaking social media news for September 2020. I hope this helps you navigate your digital marketing strategy.