The Rundown: November

Since the election has dominated most of our news feeds, here’s what you might have missed in the last two weeks when it comes to social media platforms.

Instagram Shopping + Vertical Ads + Stories Update

With the holiday season approaching, Instagram is testing its ecommerce platform by allowing a handful of partners the ability to tag products in photos that lead directly to the brand’s website. While still in beta mode, this is a massive development in the way consumer brands can measure their social success. We can’t wait. IG’s ad platform is also expanding by allowing 4:5 aspect ratio ads for photos and videos. Finally – there is some wiggle room to avoid those pesky error messages. And let’s not forget about Instagram’s newest feature: Stories. Today, a few big additions were made:

• Boomerang Integration. You can loop your content back-and-forth when posting 24-hour videos.
• Mention Tags. When posting a Story, you can mention a page or friend that links directly to their page.
• Link Tags. Verified pages can now add a web link as a tag in their Story posts. This is being tested at the moment, but this update is another way Instagram is tailoring its interface to help brands measure their social impact.

Goodbye Vine. Wait. Nevermind.

The nation mourned Twitter’s announcement to discontinue Vine a few weeks ago. The bright side: this news inspired a fun user movement to post the best Vines of all time before the app is discontinued (this was my favorite in case you wondering). However, TechCrunch reported that Vine might not shut down after all, and could be purchased by another company in the coming weeks. That’s a relief for fans of looped videos like this one.

Chatbot Rollouts

Both Facebook and Twitter have invested heavily in chatbots this fall. Now brands can promote these conversations in newsfeed ads on Facebook. This means more reach, for starters. It also means brands can target the users they want to reach, leading to more relevant and meaningful engagement. You may not have experienced these little guys yet, but you will soon. Earlier this month, Twitter launched two new chatbot products that will enhance the customer service experience for both brands and users.

Snapcodes and Snapshows

During Fox’s remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, custom Snapcodes were aired three times. When users photographed them within the app, they unlocked exclusive filters. Any brand that buys a national filter will be given their own exclusive Snapcode, which means we will probably see more of these in future TV ads and programming.

While integrating into traditional shows, Snap is encouraging brands to create their own Snapshows. Chipotle has thrown its hat in the ring, with its new comedy show, “School of Guac.” Unlike actual real guacamole, this comedy show is free and broadcasts every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. under the username “chipotlesnaps.”