Woman on sofa holding smartphone with social media reaction emojis
parallax background

October 2024 Social Media Platform Updates

Thursday 7th November 2024

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

Share
Button
Button
Button

October was another busy month in the world of social media, with many new features being released by all of the major platforms which will benefit both individual users and brand marketers. Let’s take a look at a selection of them below so you can decide which ones might help you stay in touch with your friends and family, connect with relevant influencers or boost your business presence as we approach the holiday season.

 

New Features on Facebook

Following a resurgence in activity from younger users in recent months, Facebook is looking to reinvent itself as a platform that Gen Z and younger Millennials can enjoy, rather than appealing only to older demographics. As a result, it released a handful of new features to aid this shift at the start of the month, including:

 

• Local tab: Currently being tested in a selection of US cities, the Local tab incorporates content from Reels, Marketplace, Groups and Events that have been posted in your local area, including nearby activities, local groups offering free items, and recommendations for neighbourhood hot spots.

• Explore tab: The new Explore tab will highlight content from pages you don’t yet follow, tailored to your interests.

• Video tab: An updated full-screen Video tab is also being rolled out, which looks very similar to the TikTok feed, where you can scroll through vertical videos in a simple and quick format.

• Messenger Memories: This feature will resurface past photos from your Messenger chats that you can then re-share with your community in order to reminisce about your favourite moments with friends and family members.

• Messenger Communities: These are a new way for small- to medium-sized communities to connect over shared interests. You can create multiple topic-based chats to organise and facilitate different conversations without needing to create a Facebook Group.


 

Instagram Profile Cards

After testing them out with selected creators over the past couple of months, Instagram has now announced a full rollout of its new profile cards, which provide a simple way to direct people to your Instagram page. The cards are displayed as digitally flippable panels that have a QR code on one side and a profile overview and summary on the other.

The profile overview includes your profile pic and bio, profile category and business links (for creator accounts). You can also choose a song that will play when your card is opened, and edit the background with an image of your choice.

Instagram hopes that these cards will help creators make connections with brands, via a simple, shareable summary of who they are - but they can of course also be shared by casual users among friends, and as a way for individuals to introduce themselves in groups.

 

 
Post by @creators
View on Threads

 
 

Threads Status Indicators

In order to add another level of real-time engagement to its platform, Threads has added a new indicator that shows when a user is online, which could be a handy option for any business using the app for customer service interactions. Active users will now have a green dot in the bottom right corner of their profile picture, letting their followers and other users know that they’re using the app right now (for users with a private profile, only their followers will see this). However, if you’d prefer to stay incognito when using Threads, you can turn the feature off at any time by heading to Settings > Privacy > Online status.

 

 
Post by @threads
View on Threads

 
 

New Ways to Manage WhatsApp Contacts

Until recently, WhatsApp users could only add contacts from their mobile device, either by typing in a phone number or scanning a QR code. But thanks to an update that’s now rolling out, contacts can be managed on WhatsApp Web and Windows (and eventually other linked devices). This means that if you lose your phone or change your number, you’ll still be able to restore your WhatsApp contacts from cloud storage.

The ability to save a contact exclusively to WhatsApp is also being added, which will be useful for anyone using WhatsApp for business conversations, as this will allow them to separate their personal and business contacts on their phone. Users will soon be able to save contacts by usernames only, enabling additional privacy as they won’t need to share their phone number when messaging someone.

 

 
 

YouTube Shorts Poll Sticker

Previously, YouTube creators could only conduct polls using community posts on their channel or by asking viewers to vote manually in the comments of a video - but now, thanks to a new sticker, they can add polls directly to their Shorts. Just like the poll sticker on Instagram stories, the Shorts poll sticker allows users to ask their audience to vote between two options by simply tapping on their favourite one. Creators will then be able to see the percentage of votes for each option, as well as the exact number of total votes on the sticker.


 
 

Increased API Access Fees on X

X has increased the price of its API access, with the Basic tier doubling from $100 to $200 per month. API access enables third-party apps to facilitate functions like post sharing, post scheduling and more advanced tools such as profile and post analytics. In return for the new price, developers can now process 15,000 posts, up from 10,000.

The Pro tier is still $5,000 per month, but adjustments have been made to its usage caps to offer users more value for money, and annual plans for both the Basic and Pro tiers have been introduced, priced at $2,100 and $54,000 respectively - a 12.5% and 10% saving compared to monthly payments.

The free tier is also still available, but the post limit has been reduced from 1,500 to 500 per month, incentivising users to sign up for the paid packages.

 

 
 

Share Clips from Netflix to Social Media

Netflix has added a new tool called Moments, a clipping feature built into the Netflix player, that will make it easier for users to share clips from their favourite shows onto their social media pages and will help build hype around content on the platform. Once you’ve created a Moment, it will automatically save to your ‘My Netflix’ tab, and you can either share a clip straight onto your socials after making it, or choose one later from your collection. Moments are currently only available on iOS, but Netflix says the feature will also be rolling out on Android over the coming weeks.

 

 
 

Lead Gen Objective for LinkedIn Boosted Posts

Previously, reach and engagement were the only objectives available when boosting a post on LinkedIn, but now you’ll be able to select Lead Generation as the goal, enabling you to use first-party data to capture high-quality leads and extend your reach beyond your existing LinkedIn Page followers. To use this objective:

• Select the post you’d like to boost

• Set your budget, targeting options and end date

• Choose Lead Generation as your campaign goal

• Complete your lead form template

• Launch your campaign


 
 

Summary

We’d love to hear which of these updates you’ve already tried out and which ones you’ve found useful so far, whether you’re a casual scroller or a social media marketer. Find us on X @3sixfivepro to let us know which new features you’re excited to use and share which tools you’re planning to incorporate into your digital strategy for Black Friday, Christmas and beyond.


 
Back to the blog