23 Nov Google+ Tries to Rise from The Dead | Social You Should Know
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This week we see a few recent updates from Snapchat, showing us the brand is getting serious about monetization. We also see some great (and not so great) examples of the early brands starting to utilize Facebook’s 360 degree video ads, and last but certainly not least – Google+ announces a rise from the dead – all in this week’s Social You Should Know.
Snapchat Adds “Official Stories” & Paid Lenses
Snapchat just made it easier to search and find celebrities (and hopefully one day soon brands, too) through verified accounts. Verified accounts fall under the ‘Official Stories’ with an emoji next to their name when you search for a user. With this announcement, Snapchat also introduced 30 different paid lenses which allows users to purchase the lens permanently for $0.99. With about 10M snaps a day using these lenses, it’s clear that Snapchat is trying to build monetization into the platform. It’s also probably only a matter of time until brands could begin sponsoring these lenses, which would be a win-win scenario for the brand, the consumer, and Snapchat.
Facebook’s 360-degree Video Ads Are Here
With the acquisition of Oculus Rift, it was only a matter of time before Facebook introduced new video ad features. Just this week, Facebook introduced the first 360 degree video ads, debuting with large brands including Samsung, AT&T, Mondelez, and Nestle. View an example ad here, and here. While many of these initial ads still feel too ad-like for my liking, it’s clear that marketers who consider the consumer-first and the experiences that make sense for 360 degree video will win over marketers who only consider the technology first.
Google Claims Google+ Isn’t Dead, But is it Too Late?
I promise this is no joke: Google is now claiming that Google+ is not dead. This announcement unveiled the social network will be hanging its hat around two main features: Communities and Collections. Backing this re-launch with the claim to have over 1.2 million new joins per day on Communities, Google is promising that Communities will now be centered around interests and topics for users. Are these changes a little too late? From a marketer’s perspective, it’s tough to keep up – we can only imagine users may be entirely confused.
Finally, in case you missed our Webinar, 6 Top Social Media Trends for 2016, feel free to watch the on-demand recording here.
