One of the great things about digital marketing is that there are always new social media
features to explore. In recent months we’ve already been introduced to Instagram reels,
Twitter fleets and Facebook’s Watch Together. But why should (or shouldn’t!) you use new
features in your business’ social media?
In this post, we’ll explain all the pros and cons of new social media features, and help you
figure out if they’re right for you.
Why new social media features are great:
One of the best things about new social media features is that they will be prioritised.
What we mean is that the algorithms that run social media platforms like Instagram and
Facebook will show your content to more people if you use the new feature. This can be
great if you’re looking to push your social media marketing to new audiences – using a
feature might give you the boost that you need.
Furthermore, by introducing a new feature to your social media, you can easily let customers
know that you’re keeping up with trends. This might be essential – e.g. if you run a tech-
based company, it’s always good to show that you’re on the cutting-edge – or it might not.
Either way, it’s always a great idea to show your customers that you’re looking for fun new
ways to interact with them.
Why they can be difficult:
It’s just a fact that some features don’t stick around for very long! There are lots of
examples of this: one includes polls on Facebook Messenger and Instagram, which were
removed in late 2020. According to the official blog post, this was due to updated privacy
rules in Europe. If a fun weekly poll was part of your social media marketing, you’ll have to
find something else to fill that spot.
Finally, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are always bringing out new
features – it can be difficult to keep up! If you try to use every feature on every platform
available, you might just end up doing all of them badly. It’s a good idea to focus on and
master specific platforms and features.
How to know if a feature is right for you:
So, knowing all of that, how do you know if a social media feature is right for your schedule and business?
We suggest asking yourself these questions:
● Will it take a lot of time? – If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably busy
already! So, if this new feature seems time-consuming (e.g. making and editing a
video for Instagram reels) and you don’t already use similar marketing techniques
(e.g. making and editing videos for TikTok), this might not be the best use of your
time.
● Is it relevant to my audience? – This question is extremely important. There’s no
point in putting a lot of time and effort into a new social media feature if it’s not
relevant. For example, if the majority of your customers are on Facebook, it might not
be worth your time to make lots of fleets on Twitter.
● Will I be consistent? – Finally, it’s important to think about consistency. If you’re
already finding it difficult to post consistently on social media, trying your hand at a
completely new feature might not be the best strategy. You should maybe first get
into a routine of posting more regularly and then explore these new features.
If in doubt, if a particular feature interests you, then give it a go! You can then analyse your
audience’s reaction, and how well it does in comparison to your normal social media posts.
No matter how well the post performs, you’ll be able to learn something from the experiment.
If you’d like advice about social media or would like us to help write and coordinate your
social media strategy, you can contact us! We’re always happy to hear from you.
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