Instagram Launches New Business Tools, Hootsuite Integrates with Pinterest, Snapchat’s Redesigned Redesign [Subject-to-Change]

May 15, 2018: Instagram’s one-stop shop, Hootsuite integrates with Pinterest, Google prohibits capturing of consumer data on owned properties, influencer marketing hits mainstrom media, and Snapchat’s redesigned redesign

Here’s what’s worth knowing this week:

Table of Contents

Instagram Gets Down to Business

Thanks to a plethora of new business tools, Instagram is letting you ~~have~~ buy your cake – and eat it too – without ever having to leave the app. Specifically, the addition of new action buttons on business pages – “book”, “get tickets”, “reserve” or “start order” – allow users to complete entire transactions through popular, third-party partners (i.e. GrubHub, Fandango, OpenTable, Yelp) without having to navigate away from the app. Additionally, new email-like messaging features like chatbots and quick replies make it easier and more efficient for businesses to communicate directly with users looking to make a purchase.

What it means, IRL: With new messaging options and seamless booking integrations, Instagram is making a conscious play towards closing the e-commerce loop. And – given that more 200 million Instagrammers visit a business profile each day and more 150 million Instagrammers engage with a business through Direct each month – it makes sense for Instagram to capitalize on this behavior. In addition to new commerce tools, Instagram is also changing what it means to be a business on the platform, evolving from a channel to reach consumers to a channel to converse with them – not dissimilar to Facebook Pages. TBD if it’s enough to make switching to a business account even more desirable for brands and influencers alike.

Make it work: With enhanced messaging and commerce tools, Instagram is helping businesses solve major pain points (i.e. one-to-one communication at scale) while reducing time spent and improving the customer experience. Brands can take advantage of these new features by working with influencers (who have business accounts) to employ the new action buttons on applicable content. Then, brands can amplify top performing content via paid to drive even more sales.

Hootsuite Gets Pintegrated

Marketing on Pinterest just got even easier. Thanks to a new Hootsuite-Pinterest global partnership and integration, Hootsuite users can schedule and publish Pinterest content directly to the platform, allowing users to create new boards – both public and secret. Along with posting and scheduling to Pinterest, users also have access to analytics on post reach, making it easier for both brands and influencers to manage Pinterest alongside content for other social networks.

With over 200 million monthly active users, Pinterest drives traffic that is 3.8x more likely to convert into a sale. It’s also growing at 40% year over year, highlighting Pinterest’s growing importance and value for marketers and influencers alike. The new integration makes it easier for both brands and influencers to activate on Pinterest, something that will remain at the forefront of marketers’ minds as Pinterest continues to heat up.

Google’s Privacy Reset

Google is taking no risks when it comes to issues around user privacy and data. Starting May 25, Google will no longer allow consumer data to be captured via advertising on Google outside the company’s owned properties, or use third-party data – this includes measurement pixels on YouTube. As a result, companies are working to form an Advertising ID Consortium aimed at creating a standardized ID large enough to offer marketers the same targeting capabilities found at Google and Facebook. As a marketer, it’s important to understand the impact and limitations that Google (and Facebook) pressing ‘reset’ in the name of privacy has on your business and the ability to effectively do multi-platform attribution.

Third Time’s A Charm For Snapchat?

This week, Snapchat started rolling out its redesigned redesign – aka its solution to the initial redesign that left users quite angry, to say the least. According to The Verge, the new layout puts Snaps and Chats in chronological order again, and move Stories from your friends back to the right-hand side of the app. Similar to the previous redesign, your friends’ Stories will still remain separate from branded content. Snap has also added a separate Subscriptions feed so you can search more easily for Stories from creators and publishers.

Image: Snapchat

1.2 million people spoke and it appears Snapchat listened. TBD if Snapchat will Snapchat succeed where other apps have failed in being responsive and open to user feedback.

Mommy Bloggers 2.0

Influencer marketing is hitting mainstream media – and let’s just rejoice for how far we’ve come since the days of the OG Mommy bloggers. Thanks to the rise of new social media platforms and other forms of online storytelling, Mommy bloggers are expanding their roles as they are no longer just ‘bloggers.’ As new technologies become available and the shift away from blogs to other forms of media becomes increasingly prominent, influencers aren’t the only ones who need to diversify their presence. Marketers, too, should apply the learnings from these bloggers to their own content.