Instagram messenger bots are here
Instagram messaging is a great way to connect with your audience and to sell, but there’s been a problem.
You could only access your messages from Instagram itself or from Facebook. You couldn’t manage them from third-party tools. This means messages are easily missed.
Not any more. Instagram has opened its API allowing CRMs, social media management tools and chatbots to integrate with it.
Chatbots will make handling common customer queries easier. But how will users react to them?
Facebook login now supports messenger
When you use Facebook Login on your site, people can create accounts using Facebook rather than having to go through the process of using email to sign up.
If you use this tool on your site you’ll now be able to ask people to connect with you on messenger. If they accept you can send them a welcome message or connect it to a bot and send them requested notifications about events or product recommendations.
https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2021/06/02/introducing-login-connect-messenger/
Reels ads coming to more regions
Reels became instantly popular on Instagram. Not surprising when you see how hard Instagram was pushing them. What is frustrating is that you can’t run a Reel as an ad.
Until now.
Instagram was running a limited test on Reels ads and is now rolling them out to more countries including Canada, France, the U.K. and the U.S.
These ads will be 30-second videos that will play between Reels in the feed and loop in the same way. Users will be able to engage with them.
This means that ads will need to fit the Reels style, if you get it wrong users will swipe on to the next one.
WhatsApp steps back its privacy update
The controversy over the new WhatsApp privacy policy rolls on. The update that will allow WhatsApp to share data with Facebook has been unpopular with users.
India, a country that has a massive amount of WhatsApp users have taken them to court over the update. Germany is looking at something similar.
In response, WhatsApp seems to have rolled back on its pledge to limit accounts that don’t accept the policy. WhatsApp needs the update in order to add new business tools, it will be interesting to see their next move.
Twitter Blue
The Twitter subscription service is here.
Twitter is diversifying its income streams. Instead of relying exclusively on ad revenue, they are launching a subscription service called ‘Twitter Blue’.
If you sign up, you’ll have exclusive access to features like bookmark folders, Undo Tweet and Reader View which will combine threads into an easy to read format.
It’s launching in Australia and Canada and will cost around $3.49 a month. Would you pay?
https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2021/introducing-twitter-blue.html
Embed Facebook video to start at a specified time
When you embed a video on your website or blog post, you may want to draw attention to a specific section. Maybe there’s a clip that illustrates the point you are making, a quote from an expert that adds context, or a segment of a tutorial that is helpful to your readers.
You’ve been able to embed YouTube videos that start at a particular timestamp for some time but now you’ll also be able to do this with Facebook videos.
Could this mean more people will embed Facebook videos?
Ads in Twitter Fleets
Twitter is experimenting with placing ads in the Fleets feed. Fleets also known as Twitter Stories were launched in November and seem to be well used.
The ads will have to fit the Fleets style and will be vertical images or video. Twitter say that ads will help “Connect your business with the everyday”
They recommend ads that go behind the scenes, have a creator take over your account, or share a hot take. Videos can be 30 seconds long and you’ll be able to add a swipe up to a link.
This is being tested with a select group of advertisers in the US.
https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/fleet-ads.html
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