Are you a creator, brand, or business looking to secure an extra revenue stream from Instagram? Maybe you want to get serious about your TikTok marketing game this year.
If you do, we’ve got some exciting news and updates from the world of social media including the expansion of virtual gifts on Instagram to all US creators which lets users share donations to their favorite creators and brands.
Plus, TikTok has made it even easier to promote organic content and get it in front of more eyes with their Promote tools feature. If you need a full rundown of all the social media news and updates and what they mean, then keep on reading.
Instagram expands Virtual Gifts to all creators in the US
After initial testing in November 2022, Instagram has announced that all US eligible Reels creators can now access virtual gifts from fans directly in the Instagram app using Stars – Meta’s in-app currency.
Instagram Reels viewers will be able to purchase themed virtual gifts which let fans express their love and appreciation for their favorite creators. Fans can buy Stars and then use virtual stickers as a donation to creators which Instagram says will help creators “make a living and grow their community on the platform.”
US content creators can check their Professional Dashboard to see if they have access to Instagram Gifts to start earning money from their Reels videos.
Instagram says that after viewers purchase and send your gifts, they will provide you with a monthly revenue share from your Reels videos that received gifts. This will be $0.01 USD per Star received from viewers.
Once creators have reached $100, they can convert their Stars gifts into cash. This $100 can include other monetization programs Instagram currently offers too. If you’re a brand or creator on Instagram, this is an exciting opportunity to monetize your content and earn an income on Instagram.
Instagram is reportedly testing New Memories Prompts
Shared by Twitter user Jack Horwood, Instagram is testing out a new way to get users engaged on the platform by allowing users to re-share their old Instagram Stories.
There’s not much information about this potential new feature but from what we know so far a Memory prompt will appear next to Your Story on the home feed. Once you click the Memory prompt you can see Stories you’ve previously shared around the current date.
You can then choose whether you want to share the old story to your current story.
Essentially, this is like accessing your stories archive, which you can already see by tapping on the three lines in the top right corner of your profile page.
However, Instagram is getting a little more direct in its efforts to increase engagement by directly prompting people to take a look back and re-share their old Stories.
Once rolled out, this feature could be a great way for brands and businesses to share nostalgic, throwback style content and get even more valuable of your existing content.
TikTok’s new ‘Promote’ tools provide new ways to level up organic content
If you haven’t heard of TikTok’s Promote tools before, these features offer ways for brands and businesses to turn their organic content into ads.
Promote was originally launched in April 2021 which allowed users to choose from three objectives: more video views, more website visits, and more TikTok followers.
But, Promote can now help you do a few more things for your business including:
• Increase visits to your TikTok page: the ‘more profile views’ goal is designed to increase traffic to your TikTok page instead of your website with a call to action (CTA) driving people to your profile.
• Get more messages from potential customers: the ‘more messages’ goal is designed to increase leads for small businesses with a CTA that leads viewers to compose a message. TikTok says this is for businesses that rely on interaction with customers to make sales like artists, makeup artists, and hair stylists.
• Boost other creators’ content: brands and businesses can boost creators they’re working or partnering with which allows you to promote any of your LIVE videos. You’ll also be able to see the campaign analytics in your own dashboard.
• Specific audience targeting by location: with Promote, you’ll now be able to either let TikTok decide what audience to target for you or you can create your own custom audience based on gender, age, and interests.
LinkedIn releases a new B2B Marketing KPIs guide
LinkedIn has published a 15-page document explaining common KPIs (a.k.a. Key performance indicators) to help businesses with their digital marketing efforts. LinkedIn says when done correctly, business-to-business (B2B) marketing will provide a simple and focused way to correct your campaign performance.
However, if you’re tracking the wrong KPIs you’ll be lowering your chances of success on the platform.
To kick things off, LinkedIn provides a handy guide to help businesses understand the difference between KPIs and ROI, plus, an overview of SMART goals and how to set them.
LinkedIn also highlights the 10 most important KPIs to consider in B2B marketing and provides an in-depth and detailed overview of each one. From website traffic to click-through rates, these common KPIs can help you track the impact of your B2B social media marketing on LinkedIn.
If you’re a brand or business looking to increase your marketing efforts on LinkedIn then LinkedIn’s handy guide will definitely help you develop your goals and KPIs for the year ahead.
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