Don't ignore Facebook Stories, YouTube explains its 4 Rs of responsibility, and the NFL takes on TikTok.
September 6, 2019
It’s the End of the Likes As We Know It ...
… And we feel fine. Look, we’ve talked a lot about Instagram removing like counts (it’s already done so in six countries). So it only makes sense that Facebook — IG’s parent company — would follow suit. FB is already internally testing this change, which would summarize post reactions and likes with “... and others” instead of a specific number. By hiding likes, Facebook hopes users will be encouraged to post more (sans the pressure of like performance) and in turn, spend more time on the platform. All in all, for marketers, these tests are only a good thing — losing like counts will push brands to focus on other engagement metrics (comments, poll responses, etc.), which are typically more quality and help showcase the most involved and excited audience members. So while at first the end of likes may sound like the end of the world, it might just breathe new life into Facebook.
Who Tells Your Story?
If your brand is social media savvy, you’re probably already a pro at Instagram Stories. So why not expand that expertise on Facebook? Especially now that FB is testing a dedicated in-feed panel just to highlight Page Stories — making it super easy to increase your reach with a direct presence on users’ home page. And assuming the tone aligns with your brand’s voice on the platform, you can cross-post your Insta Stories right onto the ‘Book. With interactive features like questions now available as well, marketers wanting to boost engagement and add a more human element to their brands’ Facebook page should definitely take advantage of Stories.
Three Cheers for Four Rs
YouTube has been working hard — really hard — to get its reputation back on track after it faced controversies earlier this year. Recently, CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote a blog post outlining the platform’s latest approach to responsibility, which she called the 4 Rs: Remove, Raise, Reward, and Reduce. (Not to be confused with the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. But those are important, too.) No matter how your brand uses YT, marketers should be pleased to see its continued commitment to openness, as well as its renewed strategies for keeping both users and brands safe. After all, your brand has enough to consider when it comes to marketing efforts without adding the worry of whether ads may be associated with inappropriate content to the list. The video platform is on its way to making that fear moot — ’cause an uncontrolled YouTube can be a scary place for anyone.
SPARK OF THE WEEK
It’s Football, but for Gen Z
The National Football League is celebrating its 100th season by appealing to those … much younger than 100. The NFL has teamed up with TikTok for a two-year partnership that will bring exclusive content and branded hashtag challenges to the short-form video app. Highlights, sideline interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage will be available on the NFL’s account as part of a strategy to draw in younger fans (who the league has recently had some trouble connecting with).
The NFL kicked off its partnership with the #WeReady hashtag challenge, which ran in anticipation of the first game of the season. Fans, popular TikTok creators, and NFL players joined the challenge by sharing dances, football spoofs, pep talks, and more (with the hashtag #WeReady, of course) to get everyone hyped up for the new season. As more and more brands are proving, TikTok can be used for more than silly memes and goofy viral trends. It’s a legitimate platform where companies can interact with users, whether by sharing user-generated content or hashtag challenges and contests. Right now, we’re still watching how the early brand adopters use TikTok — but for those who haven’t tested the waters yet, there’s still time. This stage is a perfect opportunity for marketers to flex their creativity and make a name for their brands in the space, while not facing much competition. So marketers, are #WeReady or not?
