What has changed on social media in the last 12 months for brands?
Keeping on top of the latest social media platform features is vital for continually engaging with riders and audiences effectively, for anyone in charge of a marketing budget in the motorcycle industry. The major social powerhouses have introduced several exciting features during 2023 and in this blog we’ll run through a snapshot of those updates, to help keep you at the top of your social media game.
Here we will focus on the updates most relevant to the Australian, European and US motorcycle markets, namely from Meta (Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp), YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and Twitter - now called X of course.
We have previously covered the topic of 'Which social platforms are most important for your brand' which is worth some thought if you’re still figuring out where to focus your efforts. Once you’ve decided which platforms will be most suitable for reaching your target audience it’s important to stay up-to-date on new features in order to keep your engagement rates high and continue your growth on social.
New features on Meta platforms
Facebook’s parent company Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, have been releasing several important updates in recent months.
Instagram's new Broadcast feature is only available on the Instagram Android and iOS app, not on desktop. The feature has been gradually made available in various markets through 2023 and in June the functionality update went global.
Instagram themselves state, ‘Broadcast channels are a public, one-to-many messaging tool for creators to directly engage with their followers at scale.’
Big racing related publishers such as MotoGP and WorldSBK have taken advantage of the new feature, whilst Royal Enfield were one of the first big manufacturers to get in on the Instagram Broadcast game. The feature helps creators and publishers get more eyeballs on their content as Broadcast channel members see the content in their DMs rather than on a potentially saturated feed.
Instagram say they will be testing Broadcast channels in Messenger and Facebook in the coming months. It is always worth having a regular look at the Instagram blog where they announce other new products such as Subscriptions and Threads which are relevant to brands, publishers and creators as they seek to grow their audiences further, increase engagement and stay ahead of the latest trends.
WhatsApp’s ‘Channels’ gaining momentum fast
Also launched by a Meta-owned company in recent months is WhatsApp’s Channels feature, which was announced at the end of Q2 in 2023. The official product description says Channels are ‘a simple, reliable, and private way to receive important updates from people and organisations, right within WhatsApp.’
It could be another game-changer for engagement and MotoGP are ahead of the curve again as one of the few bike brands already publishing regularly on a WhatsApp Channel, amassing 5.3 million WhatsApp followers in just a few months from launch. The Red Bull Factory KTM Racing team are also using the feature and we can expect plenty more players from the motorcycle industry to be jumping on WhatsApp Channels in the months ahead.
Go Live Shopping on YouTube
Another exciting development in recent months was YouTube officially launching their Live Shopping feature in May 2023. Live Shopping is described as ‘a way to engage your audience and promote your own products or products from other brands in real time.’
The YouTube Creators Academy channel provides several videos on how to master Live Shopping and this is another way for brands and creators - who have invested resources in building up a YouTube audience - to sell directly to their key target audience.
TikTok has also added new key features in 2023
Not to be left behind in terms of innovation, the developers at TikTok have similarly been busy throughout 2023. The platform has enhanced its TikTok Stickers feature, allowing creators to make their own stickers and to use them when responding to DMs, giving brands a further option to personalise quick responses to fans and customers.
TikTok also gave brands and creators the ability to reach larger international audiences with expanded translation tools for auto-generated video captions and text stickers.
Likewise, LinkedIn have been upping their game in 2023 in terms of improving their platform for brands and company pages. The scheduling post feature for company pages has been rolled out this year and allows publishers to put content live at the best time for their target geo demographic to see it.
Additionally, LinkedIn added the option to auto-generate video captions for publishers this year. The feature is only available in English at first but LinkedIn say new languages might be added in the future.
LinedIn’s new analytics dashboard for creators
A new creator analytics dashboard for LinkedIn was released this year too, highlighting audience data and giving details on top-performing content. LinkedIn’s Combined post analytics is available to platform users who turn on ‘creator mode’ and the dashboard allows brands to see how their content is performing over time.
X - formerly known as Twitter – has undergone big changes in 2023 since its change in ownership in Q4 of last year. Having already started charging for verification in the last 12 months, X’s owner Elon Musk has spoken of the idea of charging all users to access the platform, in a measure to ‘combat vast armies of bots’ on the website/app.
This is hardly inspiring for businesses wishing to achieve greater visibility with audiences in key markets. Musk posted on the platform in September 2023 that the company’s ‘US advertising revenue is still down 60%’ highlighting the flight away from the social media channel by many brands.
Leveraging the updated features on the Meta-run platforms, as well as YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn can enhance customer engagement and generate brand loyalty, though it’s important to know where to focus your efforts. You can’t go to every party, as the saying goes, but when you do show up it’s good to know what’s going down!
If you want advice on where to focus your social media efforts in order to improve growth and engagement on the most relevant platforms for your business, contact the expert team here at Motorcycle Marketing for a free consultancy session.
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