The social media game is FAST. Updates roll out inconspicuously and all of a sudden what worked last week doesn’t anymore. So in order to keep up, businesses have to modify strategy at the drop of a hat.
Well, except me.
As jewelers, you guys wear many hats. On any given day, you may shift from master bench jeweler to innovative CAD designer to lead sales associate. But here at Stuller, I’m your resident social media maven around the clock! You can count on me to sort out all of the mess Mark Zuckerberg creates and pass it on to you in small doses. So, without further ado, here’s a crash-course on how to adapt to social media changes in 2018.
Facebook
Speaking of Mark Zuckerberg, he recently made an announcement (via Facebook status update, of course) that is quickly becoming one of the main social media changes in 2018. In fact, businesses are referring to it as the “Facebook Apocalypse.”
(read the full status update here)
Long story short: This is not the end of Facebook for businesses
Facebook is rolling out the biggest change to the News Feed algorithm ever, aiming to show users more content from their friends and family. With this new shift coming our way, you’re going to have to focus on delivering engaging content in 2018. And you’re going to have to pay to play! Facebook has made it clear that advertising efforts on Facebook will not be affected by the update. Check out this post for more on Facebook advertising.
Instagram
On a lighter note, Instagram saw some major changes in 2017. The platform introduced Stories which was a game-changer for businesses and even more recently, they’ve given us an equally cool update: Hashtag Following. Now, when you search a hashtag on Instagram, you are given the option to “follow” it. New posts containing that hashtag will begin to show up in your feed just like those from accounts you follow. Here’s what this will look like:
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My advice to you? FIRST, follow #HowIStuller to receive updates in your feed from our ever-growing Insta-community. THEN, create a branded hashtag for your store! Follow that hashtag and encourage both your employees and customers to use it in posts about your store or products, then watch your reach GROW in real time.
Pinterest
The latest update on Pinterest has basically flown under the radar. Up until recently, you could only organize your Pinterest page by “boards.” Now, you can take it a step further and break down those boards into different sections!
Our Happy Birthday board, for example, is one in particular that will benefit from this new update. If you visit this board and scroll through the pins, you will eventually come across jewelry featuring gemstones other than garnet (even though it is January). That’s because in the past, we had to change the board title each month and pin the corresponding birthstone for that time frame. The new board feature offers a much better solution and in turn, creates a smoother experience. Now, we can title the board “Happy Birthday” and create board sections to represent each month’s birthstone jewelry.
This is only one example of how board organization can work for us in the jewelry industry. How do you use board sections in a creative way on YOUR Pinterest page? Let us know in the comments down below.
That does it for the big three social media changes in 2018 thus far. Here are some quick updates on other channels just for fun!
Twitter
Have you stayed away from Twitter because the 140 character limit seemed intimidating? Would DOUBLE the characters tempt you to try it out? With its recent update, Twitter now allows for 280 characters to get your message out there.
Snapchat
Snapchat wants to separate the social from the media. Similar to how Facebook is trying to show its users more content from friends and family, here’s Snapchat’s proposed solution in the video below!
Closing Thoughts
Our beloved platforms have undergone major social media changes in 2018 . . . and it’s only January! We can expect groundbreaking developments in the online world over the next 12 months. But don’t worry, we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
In fact, I’m willing to bet that if we work together to tackle social media changes in 2018 quickly, creatively, and with an open mind, jewelry will ROCK the social space this year!
