Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup
Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup
Bonded Bitesize – Bringing you your midweek roundup of the latest in digital and media.
Stay connected with recent updates from Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn & many more!
Twitter has launched a public test displaying tweet view count on selected users tweets to better highlight the platforms content reach
In a new test that no-one likely asked for, Twitter is experimenting with adding public view counts to tweets, positioned alongside the number of retweets and likes. Although this feature does not provide any information that can not already be found in an accounts analytics page, it seems Twitter is trying to emphasise the platforms ability to reach large audiences.
Our takeaway… We’re not sure how we feel about this one - we normally argue that knowledge is power, but normally when it is in your hands rather than everybody elses.
Google has announced 9 new shopping features to create more immersive shopping experiences, including 3D shopping, shoppable looks and buying guides
At its annual Search On event, Google announced not one, not two, but NINE new features to its shopping capabilities, including…
- Simplified search-based shopping
- Shoppable looks
- Trending products section
- 3D Shopping for sneakers
- Buying guides
- Page insights
- Personalised results
- New filters
- New discovery tools
*Comment down below if you want us to write a blog post dedicated to explaining each of these updates and how to use them to your advantage!
TikTok’s latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report claims they have removed millions of fake accounts, inappropriate ads and pre-teen users
As TikTok faces a potential $29 million fine for neglecting the privacy of UK children between 2018 and 2022, the platform has released their latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report. The report shows the platform has removed millions of ads, videos and accounts for violating a range of policies - from nudity to bullying - in its efforts to create a safer environment for its users.
Our Takeaway… Unfortunately all platforms have bots, but actively removing them makes it more likely that your ad revenue will go towards placing your ads in front of real users as opposed to fake accounts - helping create more reliable engagement analytics and hopefully more conversions.
Meta has announced it is testing a feature that will enable users to request a call-back from businesses, as well as displaying more pre-call information
Facebook has given users the ability to ‘click to call’ businesses via ads since 2015, but the platform has recently announced it is testing a series of new features to help businesses better connect with their audiences. One such feature currently being tested by selected businesses is the ability to request a call-back when lines are busy. Meta explains this will “show potential customers that you value their time and business and provide business owners flexibility”. Additionally, Meta is also testing more ways to measure the performance of Call Ads within Ads Manager as well as adding a new pre-call feature that will provide additional context and links to educate potential customers before their calls
Our Takeaway… Call Ads are a great way to communicate directly with your audiences - and these features will be a great way to lessen the amount of conversions lost from missed calls.
Instagram is continuing to test the ability to display multiple links in user bios, helping brands and influencers drive traffic to more areas
Instagram is continuing to test the ability to display multiple links in user bios, helping brands and influencers drive traffic to more areas
Instagram has reportedly been testing this new feature that will allow users to display multiple links at once in its back-end coding since October last year. Recently, however, users have noticed this feature appearing on selected business profiles. Various tests have explored linking to a number of external sites such as TikTok and Paypal and even links to Facebook groups - though it is not yet confirmed how many link options will be released to the public, if any at all.
Our takeaway… Allowing multiple links will really help businesses drive traffic to a number of different locations at the same time - negating the value of third-party tools like Linktree that many brands and influencers currently use to do the same thing.
YouTube searches for health topic will start showing more personal stories as user search patterns indicate users use platform for support rather than information
YouTube has announced it is putting patients' voices front and centre by creating a shelf of ‘Personal Stories’ related to searches for health topics. “Many times, people aren’t coming to YouTube with a health question at all. Instead, they come with a human question: how do I live with this?” the platform explains. This new category of videos will be available for US users at first, and focus on queries relating to cancer, as well as mental health topics like anxiety and depression, but is said to be expanding to other topics and markets over the coming months.
Our takeaway… This is a touching example of understanding the needs and wants of your audience through a deeper analysis of search patterns.
LinkedIn rolls out 4 new features to make ad creation, lead downloads and finding new audiences simpler for B2B marketers
LinkedIn sure has been busy - check out the announcement for more in depth explanations but to summarise…
- Offline conversions - allow you to connect the conversions you track in other tools directly to LinkedIn, by manually uploading CSV files to the Campaign Manager. This data will be incorporated into aggregated reporting helping provide a more holistic understanding of marketing impact.
- Audience insights - now available in Campaign Manager to help pinpoint audiences, their interests and how they are engaging with other content as well as information about their roles, industries and locations.
- Document ads - allow the promotion of long-form content directly into members' feeds. Alternatively gated content will have a lead generation form to collect leads.
- Media library - store all your images and videos in one central location, allowing you to create up to 5 ads at once.
After disclosing TikTok is becoming Gen Z’s preferred search engine, Google has unveiled a more visual search experience aimed at engaging younger audiences
The regulars amongst you may remember that two weeks ago we reported that Google themselves had disclosed news that Gen Z were increasingly using TikTok as a replacement search engine - using the video sharing platform to check out new restaurants or holiday destinations over Google. Well, Google is fighting back - amping up the visuals of its search engines to better engage with younger audiences. This includes adding new features, shortcuts to helpful tools as well as giving existing ‘knowledge panels’ a visual makeover. Interestingly Google is using these spaces to display content from a range of sources - even Youtube, Instagram and TikTok - understanding that Gen Z engage well with this content, but wanting to be the ones that supply it to them.
Our Takeaway… Google has managed to make its search engine more engaging to younger audiences whilst also improving usability for other age groups. We approve.
YouTube TV has launched a new option allowing subscribers to buy network add-ons without having to subscribe to all the channels in the Base Plan
Over a month ago, we reported rumours that Youtube was wanting to shuffle up its TV offering to help it compete against subscription service titans Netflix and Disney+ - well, here’s what they came up with… This new network add-on option means that rather than all users spending $64.99 a month on the 85 channels that Youtube includes in its Base Plan, users can now mix and match the networks they want to watch. Users with this updated membership still get access to unlimited DVR space, three simultaneous streams and six household accounts.
Twitter is rolling out 2 video updates: full screen expansions and video carousels on the explore tab
After not so humbly revealing that videos shared on Twitter receive billions of combined views every year, the platform has announced two updates aimed to improve user experience. The first makes it easier to expand videos to full screen with a single click - as well as scrolling down to even more video content. Picture the addictive endless scrolling of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts - yep, it’s finally coming to Twitter. The second update is a new video carousel in the Explore Tab, sitting alongside trending tweets and hashtags.
Google is testings a new star icon in search result snippets that bring up a ‘More Like This’ section of similar results
Spotted by Daniela Cano from Amsive Digital and posted to Twitter, it appears Google is testing a new star icon in their search result snippets, nestled between results’ URLs and the three dots menu. When the star icon is clicked, it brings up a ‘More Like This’ section showing the user a series of similar results. It is rumoured this test could be linked to one of the announcements made at Google’s Search On ‘22 event last week.
Our Takeaway… Although this isn’t yet showing in our search results, we’re going to keep our eyes peeled for it as it sounds like a great new feature.
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that will allow users to share a link to call with family and friends, and announces testing of 32-person encrypted video calls
Similar to the invite links we receive daily for Teams and Zoom calls, Meta have announced they are rolling out a new feature that will allow users to share invite links for WhatsApp calls with family, friends and groups. The link expires after 90 days of inactivity and will require those invited to have access to a WhatsApp account. Mark Zuckerberg also announced that the company is testing 32-person encrypted video calls - allowing the call service to be used by a larger number of people at once.
In an unexpected partnership, Ikea is trialling a ‘Collect Near You’ service allowing shoppers to collect orders from their local Tesco
Flat-pack furniture megastore Ikea have teamed up with Tesco to make collecting orders even easier for consumers - offering customers the convenience of picking up their items whilst doing their weekly shop. This expansion of the ‘Collect Near You’ service will first be trialled in Blackburn, with plans to extend to Doncaster, Stockport, Bolton, Liverpool and Cambridge later this year. A spokesperson from Ikea explained “This collab recognises that in an ever-changing retail environment, there is an opportunity to bring IKEA closer to many people”.
Google announces plans to translate international news coverage directly from search into users own language
Announced at Google’s Search On 22 Event, the platform announced plans to translate news articles from publishers across the globe into users' preferred language - placing humans one step closer to an interconnected world. The new feature will translate news headlines, body copy as well as the links to these news results.
Our takeaway… For brands with international audiences, this will be a useful tool for extending the reach of your content. However, we all know the way Google Translate doesn’t always provide the most reliable translations - so make sure to get a native speaker to proofread your content to avoid publishing something nonsensical or even offensive.
YouTube has announced it is testing inappropriate comment notifications, timestamps for violations and typical performance and hashtag insights
In the latest Creator Insider video, Youtube has announced they are testing a whole range of new features that will help creators gain more insight into why some videos perform well, and why others are flagged for violating community guidelines. These tests address many creators' complaints surrounding violations by providing video timestamps and comment notifications that will provide more context on flagged content and making it easier for them to edit and reupload cleaner versions. They are also testing a ‘time out’ feature for users that break these guidelines too many times - hoping to reduce the amount of abusive comments on the platform.
