Facebook Supports Vertical Video in the News Feed: What’s Hot in Social Media

September 2, 2016

Since the beginning of video marketing, it has always been a best practice to shoot and consume video in a horizontal format. That all began to change when Snapchat was introduced in 2011.

No longer were the masses turning their phones sideways to capture video content. They were keeping them upright and recording video vertically. This trend continued to gain momentum when live-streaming platforms like Periscope were introduced. These platforms also supported vertical video. People not only became comfortable capturing vertical video content, they got comfortable consuming it. They became so comfortable, that Facebook rolled out support for vertical video in the Facebook news feed. Facebook users will now see videos displayed vertically, opposed to cropped into a square.

More details on why this matters, and what else is happening in social media below.

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Facebook Supports Vertical Video in News Feed

Facebook has began supporting vertical video in the mobile news feed. Videos were previously cropped into a square, but are now displayed in a 2:3 aspect ratio. This ratio has the video occupy most of the mobile screen, but not all of it. Live videos and video ads will also be supported by the vertical format.
Why does this matter?
Up until now, video and broadcast experts have stood behind landscape video.
They preached that landscape video was the preferred way to consume video content by the masses. As Snapchat emerged, it became apparent that people didn’t only mind vertical video, they preferred it. Facebook supporting vertical video in the news feed is a sign that there has been a significant shift in the way we consume video content.

Snapchat Introduces On-Demand Geofilter Templates

Snapchat has made customizable templates available for those looking to purchase on-demand geofllters. These templates would eliminate the need for image-editing software. Snapchat also rolled out a number of features to enhance your snaps including the ability to italicize, highlight, and bold your text.
Why does this matter?
Snapchat’s geofilter templates will make it easier for brands and individuals to purchase on-demand geofilters, especially if they do not have graphic design experience or access to image-editing software.

Instagram Begins Recommending Stories on Explore Tab

Instagram has began to show users recommended Stories at the top of their Explore Tab.
Why does this matter?
This will provide Instagram Stories creators the chance to be featured at the top at the Explore Tab, increasing their chances of being discovered. This will help Instagram users discover new content that they may be interested in.

Facebook Updates Offers Ad Unit

Facebook has updated their Offers ad unit to include new features that benefit advertisers and Facebook users. Advertisers will be able to generate a unique coupon code for each person who claims their offer. Facebook users will be able to bookmark their coupons on mobile, and receive reminders about their saved offers about when they will expire. 
Why does this matter?
These new features will make it easier for Facebook users to take advantage of mobile offers by brands. In addition, these updates will ideally encourage digital offer redemption, so advertisers should see better results when using the offers ad unit.

Twitter to Allow Video Creators to Earn Revenue From Pre-Roll Ads

Twitter has announced that they will begin allowing video creators of all sizes that are approved by their Amplify Publisher Program to run pre-roll video ads. These creators will be able to collect a portion of the pre-roll ad revenue.
Why does this matter?
This will allow all video content creators on Twitter to share in the pre-roll ad revenue from their content. This may entice users to create more video content on the platform.

Facebook Introduces Instant Video in Messenger

Facebook has introduced Instant Video to Facebook Messenger. Instant Video will allow Facebook users to video chat each other in a “Face-Time like” environment directly within Messenger.
Why does this matter?
This feature will allows users to video chat directly in messenger, similarly to Skype, Face-Time, and Snapchat.
There may be an opportunity for brands to leverage this feature for customer service purposes in the future.

Instagram Users Can Now Zoom In

Instagram users will now be able to zoom in on photos in their home feed.
Why does this matter?
Although this is not a new technological advancement, this is a feature that has been sought after by Instagram users since the inception of the app.

Pinterest Introduces Engagement Retargeting and Enhances Visitor Retargeting

Pinterest has rolled out Engagement Retargeting as a new ad option. This will allow advertisers to retarget Pinterest users who have previously saved, clicked, or tapped on their pins. Pinterest has also updated their Visitor Retargeting to support new events and data for more precise retargeting.
Why does this matter?
These updates to Pinterest’s Engagement Retargeting and Visitor Retargeting ad units will help advertisers better retarget Pinterest users who have previously engaged with their content.
These retargeting efforts will ideally result in more revenue from Pinterest.

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