July 2024 Digital Updates – Facebook AI Chatbots, New LinkedIn Premium Pages, the Threads API is Here!

Facebook and Meta News Updates

Pages with 10K+ can use Broadcast Channels – This gives you a direct line to your followers’ DMs. You can send “broadcast messages” via Messenger. This has the potential to annoy your audience, so use it sparingly if you have access.
AI Chatbots in Messaging – Managing Messenger is a hassle for many business owners. Meta is now introducing AI, which will be a huge step up from the chatbots of a few years ago. If you get many messages for your Page, this is definitely worth exploring.
Meta Updates Horizon Worlds – If you thought the Metaverse was dead, think again! Meta is re-investing in It, showing that it continues to believe in the platform’s future.
Meta Tests Creative Variants for Reels – This could be a great way to optimize creative on-the-go. Users reported seeing the option to A/B test Reels content. This could be a great way to accelerate creative performance in Reels.

Shares are More Important in the Algorithm – The head of Instagram reiterated that shares are a key ranking factor in the algorithm. If you want to improve your content visibility on IG – focus on shares!

Threads API is here – This means Threads can be added to your social media schedulers! You should be able to post, reply and view content on third-party tools, as well as track your performance. This is a big win for social media managers wanting to do more on the platform.

New Premium Pages – These are paid accounts that will give Pages access to more features, for example, custom call-to-action buttons and testimonial highlights. It isn’t yet clear how much this feature costs and not all Pages have access yet.

TikTok Lets You Download Without Watermarks – This new feature allows you to download videos from TikTok without the TT watermark on them.
TikTok Launches Whee Photo Sharing – The new app from TikTok focuses on photo sharing. It doesn’t have many downloads yet (especially when compared to other social network launches recently), but it is worth paying attention to.

YouTube Rolls Out Thumbnail Tests – You can now test and optimize thumbnails for your videos! Thumbnails are key to driving views, so this is a great opportunity to increase clicks in search and video views.

New Query Matching in Search Ads – Google will now automatically account for misspellings (including in negative keywords) and also incorporate new branded search options.
Google Analytics Includes AI Insights – These insights will provide more details on performance and draw attention to specific issues.

Reddit Traffic up 39% – Reddit is growing like crazy – some attribute this to prominent ranking in Google searches. Either way, this could make Reddit a strong opportunity for your business.