Welcome to this week's episode of Social Chatter, the longest running social media marketing talk show where we cover the latest social media news from this past week, including Facebook F8 updates, Instagram Creator Studio, Squadcast and more.
If you like, you can watch or listen to Social Chatter on our blog, YouTube channel or the Alexa Flash Briefing.
For those of you who missed last week's episode on Instagram quiz stickers for Stories and updates to Facebook advertising tools, you can watch the replay here.
Let's see what's new in social media this week with, Christian Karasiewicz, Phil Gerbyshak and guest, Chelsea Peitz
Social Chatter: Social Media Marketing Talk Show - Episode 189
Facebook F8 Updates
In Facebook news, they held their latest conference where they announced Facebook F8 updates to products for Facebook and Instagram.
Here's a look at the updates from Facebook F8 for 2019.
The Facebook Redesign
One of the major Facebook F8 updates included a redesign for Facebook.
Stories and Communities are now front and center, with News Feed updates taking a backseat.
Facebook Groups will be easier to access. For example, you can quickly discover new Groups.
In addition, Facebook Groups that focus on Health Support, will have the ability to post questions and share information without having their name appear on a post.
If you use Facebook Marketplace, Facebook is making it easier for you to ship items in the contenting US and pay for purchases on Facebook.
Here's a look at the redesigned Facebook website.
WhatsApp Business Catalog
WhatsApp is launching business catalog, a feature that will help businesses display their product catalog when chatting.
This is good news for business owners. You won't have to search for photos to share. Instead, you can have the business catalog available at your fingertips.
As you can see, Facebook F8 updates don't just encompass Facebook. They also include Instagram and WhatsApp.
These updates aren't just there to get you to use the platforms more. They also make it easier for you in most cases, to do business faster with customers.
Another important trend that you'll want to pay attention to is the focus on Stories content.
For those of you who struggle with knowing what to share in Stories, one thing to do is to plan out your day (even better, plan out the week or month).
This way you can see what you might be able to create content for to share in Stories or with Groups.
You can read more about the Facebook F8 updates here.
Coming Soon: Instagram Creator Studio
In Instagram news, they are working on Instagram Creator Studio.
Instagram Creator Studio is very similar to Facebook Creator Studio. In fact, some accounts are seeing a tab within Creator Studio for Instagram - within the mobile app.
Within the Instagram Creator Studio, you'll have access to Instagram Insights, engagement statistics, when your audience is active, along with demographic information.
Here's a look at the Instagram Creator Studio dashboard screen that you may see in your account.
Why Instagram Creator Studio Matters For Your Business
While Instagram Creator Studio doesn't appear to be adding anything new for Instagram (these tools are already available).
It does make it easies for your business to access this information in one convenient place. For example, because it's within the Facebook Creator Studio, you can view both of your channels from one place (for now). This can save you a lot of time.
The Instagram Creator Studio is currently in testing. Hopefully it will be released to everyone very soon.
In the meantime, you can read more about Instagram Creator Studio here.
A New Create Mode For Instagram Stories
Also in Instagram news, they are launching a new create mode for Instagram Stories.
The new create mode for Instagram, will make it easy for you to share updates without having to include a photo or video.
For example, when you launch the new camera, you'll have access to creative tools such as effects, interactive stickers and more.
Here's a look at the "create mode" for Stories.
Why Create Mode For Instagram Stories Matters For Your Business
Do you struggle with what to post in your Instagram Stories?
By adding a new create mode for Instagram Stories, you can try out different types of content in your Stories, instead of struggling with coming up with a photo or video to post.
The new camera layout and "create mode," for Instagram Stories, should be available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, you can read more about create mode for Instagram Stories here
Tools
In addition to sharing the latest news from this past week, we also highlighted some great social media tools and apps for you to check out.
ContentCal
The first tool that we have discovered this week is ContentCal.
ContentCal is a social media scheduling tool.
In addition, instead of using spreadsheets to plan out your social media posts, you can use ContentCal to plan out and manage your updates and even collaborate with team members.
One other very useful feature of ContentCal is that they include an evergreen content option. This make it easy for you to duplicate posts that are performing well and you want to recycle.
You can use ContentCal for free to plan and schedule your social media posts.
If you need to upgrade, their Pro plan starts at $12 per month. They also offer an Autopilot feature for $399 per month, that will create your social media posts for you, which could be a timesaver for your business.
Start planning and scheduling your social media posts
SquadCast
The second tool that we have for you this week is Squadcast.
SquadCast is a remote podcast recording tool.
With SquadCast, all you have to do is show up and record your interview. There aren't any installs, plugins or extensions to add.
Here's a look at how SquadCast works.
For those of you who want to incorporate bumper music, audio clips, sound effects and more, you can use Loopback from Rogue Amoeba , which we discussed here.
You can try SquadCast free for 14-days. Prices then start at $20 per month or $200 per year for unlimited sessions, recordings and more.
Wrap-up
That's it for this week's show!
To watch next week's episode of Social Chatter, your weekly social media marketing talk show, tune-in here to find out what's new in social media!
If you have any questions about any of the social media news or tools that were mentioned this week, please share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or in the comments below.
No Comments