If you’re a brand, business or creator looking to succeed on social media in 2022, you need to be harnessing the power of Reels and TikTok videos.
As we covered in our predictions for the biggest social media trends of 2022, TikTok is going from strength to strength as a marketing channel. In fact, the platform’s audience has jumped by a whopping 45% since January 2021 (and is showing no signs of slowing down).
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the most exciting social media updates from Instagram and TikTok to watch this month.
From the expansion of the Remix feature beyond Reels to new ways to promote Live broadcasts on your Instagram profile, let’s dive into all the social media news you need to know about.
Instagram expands the ‘Remix’ feature beyond Reels
Are you a big fan of TikTok’s Duet feature? Well, this latest announcement from Instagram is going to be right up your alley.
Since launching in March 2021, Instagram’s Remix feature has been a fun way for creators and brands to collab on Instagram. Up until now, Remixes have only been available for Reels, allowing you to watch someone else’s video to film your own reaction or response to it.
In exciting news, Instagram has just announced that the Remix feature will be rolled out to any public video for creators (not just Reels). It’s a move that’s geared towards driving more engagement and getting more users engaging with the Remix format.
Each creator has the ability to control whether other users are able to Remix their videos by heading into their Settings and selecting ‘Reels and Remix Controls’. So, if you haven’t already it’s time to try out the Remix feature to boost your engagement and expand your reach.
Live videos now promoted on Instagram profiles
Speaking of Instagram, we have some big news for any business, brand or creator who is taking advantage of Live videos.
In a recent announcement from Instagram, the platform is rolling out a new profile banner to help promote your upcoming Live stream videos.
While scheduling Live videos has been a feature open to creators for a while, this latest feature now allows you to add a badge to your Instagram profile to boost attendance to your next live stream.
This banner shares the date of your upcoming live video and even gives your followers the option to subscribe and receive a reminder about the Live stream. Plus, this badge isn’t just visible to your followers, meaning anyone who visits your profile can see your upcoming live broadcasts.
Instagram experiments with Feed changes
Have you noticed a few changes to your Instagram feed experience? That’s right, the chronological feed is back!
Earlier in January 2022, the Instagram team announced that users now have three different ways to view their home screen on the platform.
First up, is the Home view which is the Instagram experience you know and love. It’s based on the Instagram algorithm and serves you recommended content based on your in-app behavior.
Next, you have the ‘Favorites’ view which allows you to never miss a post from friends, family or your favorite creators. It’s a chronological feed that you curate based on the accounts you want to see content from.
Last, but not least, is the ‘Following’ view. This feed is also chronological and simply shows the latest content shared by the accounts you follow.
Meta announces new 3D Avatars on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger
Exciting news out of Meta this month: 3D avatars are being rolled out on Instagram along with Facebook and Messenger.
While this update is currently available in the US, Canada and Mexico, it’s expected to be expanded to new markets in the months ahead. Essentially, these 3D avatars allow you to create your own virtual self and customize everything from your skin colour to clothing.
It’s all part of Meta’s move towards the Metaverse, where the platform expects more of us to be interacting in immersive virtual online spaces using 3D virtual characters (a.k.a. Avatars).
Currently, 3D avatars are now available for use in DMs and Stories, with plans to expand its use across the entire Instagram experience.
TikTok teases a stack of new features for brands and creators
Over in TikTok land, there’s stacks of exciting features potentially in the works to take your engagement and reach to the next level.
While not all of these features have been confirmed, TikTok is said to be testing the waters to see what features users want to see from the app in 2022 (and beyond).
So, let’s run you through the ideas that are being thrown around in TikTok HQ. First up, TikTok is said to be working on a TikTok Avatars feature, allowing you to craft a unique avatar based on a selfie.
Another exciting potential feature is the launch of keyword filtering on TikTok. If launched, this feature would allow users to filter out content based on specific hashtags or keywords.
Other potential changes include the launch of a Group Chat feature using a sharable link, audio-only live broadcasts as well as screen-sharing features for livestream.
Psst… are you stuck for content ideas on TikTok? We reveal a stack of must-try video ideas to take your Reels or TikTok videos to the next level.
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