The social media world can quickly get crazy, but thankfully Ripl is here to help. We’ve gathered our favorite articles this month about the social media sphere, so you can stay up to date on the latest in the social media world. Read our top 9 articles below:
1. “Why User Engagement Isn’t Always A Good Thing on Social Media” by Peter Suciu, Forbes
Summary: Although businesses generally want to have an engaging social media presence, there are downsides to having engagement on social media. First, likes don’t equate to sales. In fact, some theorize that likes allow customers to be too passive, and don’t actually incentivize customers to purchase anything. Additionally, having a more engaged social media channel means having to deal with more negative commentary, which can consume a lot of time as a small business owner. Regardless, as a small business owner you need to take the time to respond to negative comments- it’s a crucial part of maintaining your reputation!
2. “Who Are Those Strangers Watching Your Instagram Stories?” by Jane Chu, Slate
Summary: Have you ever noticed random strangers in the audience for your Instagram story? A large portion of those strangers could be Russian bots, which are part of Russian marketing agencies. These bots exist out of the belief that if someone follows your account, you’ll follow them back.
3. “How to Tell What Everyone Is Talking About” by Nick Douglas, Lifehacker
Summary: Ever wonder what is trending or why a certain thing on social media went viral? This article walks you through the steps to how to find out what everyone is talking about on social media. This includes: browsing the trending tag, browsing the Reddit Forum “Out of the Loop”, and viewing a person’s like history on Twitter.
4. “Why Small Business Saturday Is One of The Most Important Shopping Days of the Year” by Corey Whelan, Reader’s Digest
Summary: There’s a holiday you may have been ignoring: Small Business Saturday! Following Black Friday, Small Business Saturday celebrates shopping at small local businesses. As a business owner, you should be advertising for this day. Make sure to use American Express’s Small Business resources, rally your neighborhood businesses, and create a party atmosphere for customers.
5. “Facebook Can Be Forced To Delete Content Worldwide, EU’s Top Court Rules” by Adam Santariano, The New York Times
Summary: Europe’s top court ruled that European countries can order Facebook to delete or remove posts – imposing more regulations on the way Facebook operates. Facebook’s lawyers argued against this change, claiming it sets a dangerous precedent in regards to blocking free speech, especially since Facebook is based in the US and not the EU.
6. “Instagram’s Following tab is going away this week” by Dami Lee, The Verge
Summary: Instagram’s following tab was removed earlier this month. This feature allowed users to peek at what their friends were looking at on Instagram. This caused a lot of drama in relationships, but that’s not the main reason for its removal. According to Instagram’s head of product, the feature was barely used.
7. “Twitter will ban all political advertising starting in November” by Makena Kelly, The Verge
Summary: According to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Twitter is banning all political ads worldwide starting November 22nd. According to Dorsey, social and political movements can reach massive scale organically, and political reach should be earned, not bought. This move is in contrast to Facebook, which has continued to struggle with political advertising over the past year.
8. “The Highest Earners on Instagram” by Niall McCarthy, Forbes
Summary: Curious about who the top earners are on Instagram? This infographic from Forbes lists the top 10. Hint: to be a top earner, it helps to either have played professional soccer or to be a Kardashian.
9. “Online Influencers Tell You What To Buy, Advertisers Wonder Who’s Listening” by Suzanne Kapner and Sharon Terlep, Wall Street Journal
Summary: Brands are starting to pull away from paying influencers due to: the declining credibility of influencers, the inauthenticity of a paid influencer ad, and the lack of engagements on influencer posts. Instead, brands are starting to focus on building their own content.
