Round-Up: Paid Social (August 2023)
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It’s time for another social media round-up, where, in 500 words or fewer, we break down the most important stories from the last four weeks in bitesize, bullet point form.
In the time it takes you to boil a kettle, you can be kept up to speed on all the happenings, the controversies, and the updates from the month that was August.
From the launch of X to more fines for Meta, it’s been a wild month in the world of social media. So without further ado, let’s get into it!
The 10 Most Important Stories From The Last 4 Weeks
- In what appeared to be yet another load of hot air from the owner of Twitter (now X), Elon Musk claimed he was planning on ‘banning’ the block button on its platform. Unfortunately, that move would violate Apple and Google Play Store guidelines, rendering the app useless.
- Despite often negative headlines, Facebook remains the dominant platform for marketers choosing to run social media advertising campaigns. In a survey, 90% of marketers said they chose Facebook for social media advertising, this was a whopping 10% more than Facebook’s sister platform, Instagram.
- In what may or may not be a surprise, an Ofcom report has shown that news is the second most popular video type on social media. It was only beaten by ‘how-to’ videos and is a clear sign that news consumption is now on social media first, before the 6 o’clock news or the common all garden newspaper.
- The UK Government has been found to be using targeted social media ads to promote messages about migration and crime to minority groups. It was found that these ads were targeting people’s protected characteristics (i.e. race, religion, and sexual orientation) and using terms such as ‘hip-hop’ and ‘rapping’ when attempting to appeal for witnesses to a murder in Manchester.
- TikTok is getting in line. To appease the EU and its new Digital Services Act, TikTok is making changes that could alter the UX of someone living in a European country. As opposed to basing recommended videos on personal interests, certain feeds will show videos that are popular in that area.
- Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere. In the past five years alone, brands have spent a staggering £71 billion on influencer ads.
- Back at the start of August, Norway imposed daily fines on Meta. Starting from 14th August, the country has been fining the company over privacy breaches. At the time of writing that fine currently stands at $1,576,000.
- The eCom world got quite a big shake-up in August as TikTok launched its new fulfilment programme. ‘Fulfilled by TikTok’ has launched in the UK and allows brands to sell their products directly to consumers through the app. No more 3rd party sites, brands can operate this revenue stream directly through TikTok.
- Following on from TikTok’s eCom news, a new BT report found that social media is the top sales generator for 28% of all small UK businesses. Despite this, one in five of the respondents said they don’t feel they have the skills to make the most out of the platforms.
- And finally, a study by Oxford University appears to dispel the myth that Facebook has negative effects on people’s mental health. Analysing 12 years’ worth of data from 72 countries, it found that people’s assumption that Facebook is bad for mental health is more speculative than anything.
Want to Know More? Get in Touch
Ok, we went a bit over 500 words but knowing the key stories from social media is more important, right?
As a full-service agency with a Paid Social team, we keep abreast of all the latest developments as they can sometimes impact our campaigns. If you want to know more or work with a team that can help you create revenue-driving social media campaigns, get in touch by phone at 0161 327 2635 or email us at [email protected].
