Status Update: Social Media Trends from Q1, 2017

STATUS UPDATE
A quarterly publication from The Social Lights®

Conﬁdential. Do Not Distribute | © 2017 The Social Lights® LLC | 2
Social media moves fast. Really fast.
That’s where we come in. Every 3 months, we bring you all the updates
from around the social sphere. So, what went down in Q1?
It’s Facebook Versus the World 
Over the past 9 months, Facebook and its family of
apps have declared war on Snapchat, grabbing
headlines with every lookalike feature from ephemeral
images to stories to filters. However, Snapchat hasn’t
been Facebook’s only target in recent months.
More recently, Facebook has introduced features
aimed to compete with Craigslist, LinkedIn, YouTube,
and even Google. Facebook doesn’t want to be your
social platform. They want to be your Internet.
Marketing Converging On Social Media
Several platforms made announcements that are sure
to alter the marketing world, projecting social media
to be the point of convergence between E-
commerce, TV, and digital marketing.
Who are shaping up to be the biggest players in this
space? Where is social headed? Answers to these
questions and more, right ahead.

“Bring it on.” - Facebook

Craigslist
GoFundMe
Google
LinkedIn
Slack
Snapchat
Twitch
Twitter
In 2017 alone, Facebook has either made updates
to or launched lookalike features aimed at taking
down each of the following platforms…
Pinterest YouTube
Facebook vs. The World

WhatsAppMessenger
Instagram
Facebook vs. Snapchat
The most documented battle in recent months,
Mark Zuckerberg has done everything in his power
to make Snap Inc. regret the $3B offer he made to
the platform back in 2013. Messenger, Instagram,
WhatsApp, and even Facebook have added
ephemeral messaging features.
Facebook
The constant barrage of updates has now led to
1.86 billion users having access to AR lenses, geo-
located community stories, and illustrative stickers
to tell each individual story.

Facebook heard concerns voiced by some of the
world’s largest businesses regarding whether or not
the platform truly offered a superior marketing
platform, as well as calls for standardization across
measurement methods.
Zuckerberg responded, bringing third-party data to
the platform through a new advertising tool,
Advanced Measurement, to compare performance
across Facebook, Instagram, Google, and search-
based ads.
YouTube has long had a stranglehold on native
video consumption. However, in recent months,
Facebook made a leap, earning 10-times more
shares on native video when compared to YouTube’s
on the platform.
Facebook vs. Google, YouTube

Facebook has long since turned its primary focus
away from knocking Twitter down, but that doesn’t
mean the platform has stopped bringing the heat.
Facebook has continually made revisions to it’s
“trending” and “live video” features, aiming to
dismantle Twitter from it’s spot as the leader of the
now. Most recently, Facebook added a second
Newsfeed, aiming to bring users more content that
the platform believes they will like.
Loved within the esports and gaming community,
Amazon’s Twitch has gained significant traction in
the social world, which meant that it was inevitable
that Facebook would eventually launch a feature to
try and kill the platform. Predictably, it happened.
Facebook vs. Twitter, Twitch

Pinterest has continued to flex its muscles in
influencing purchase decisions, launching new
advertising options and adding capabilities to
search any image on the Internet for related pins.
In gaining momentum with retail and CPG
advertisers, Facebook added sales options to try
and keep marketers within those big blue walls,
options including collection advertisements and
product catalogues.
Facebook vs. Pinterest

GoFundMe
Facebook vs. Craigslist,
GoFundme, LinkedIn, Slack
An ongoing theme, if something on the Internet is
working well, a Facebook lookalike won’t be far
behind, especially when groups of people are
involved. From messaging to fundraising to job
searches to getting rid of that old mini-fridge in your
mancave, Facebook wants to do it all.
Craigslist
LinkedIn
Slack

TV MARKETING DIGITAL ECOMMERCE
SOCIAL MEDIA

11Conﬁdential. Do Not Distribute | © 2017 The Social Lights® LLC |
The past decade in marketing has been dominated by digital media,
TV advertising, and exploding eCommerce sales. As social media
developed into the advertising monster it is today, the industry’s
gravity is attracting more and more marketing facets.
Combining the efforts of the all-encompassing marketing giants with
the innovation of startups, advertising in 2017 is soon to be more than
simply digital, TV, or social marketing. It’s going to be an all-in-one
industry. Where one aspect exists, there too will be the others.
It’s all coming together.

A constant race across social media, platforms repeatedly announce
updates to make their live-streaming experience better than the
competition. With events leading the charge, broadcasts (and their
media companies) have become a target for Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube alike.
YouTube made waves in February, announcing a 40-channel, Internet-
based TV subscription package that features content from ABC, CBS,
FOX, NBC & more.
Social + TV

Eyeing the overlap between social and digital,
platforms are creating conversation points and adding
features synced to announcements, like movie-based
Snap filters, accessible by snapping the code flashed
during the trailer premiere.
Both Snapchat and Facebook have adopted this
approach, with Facebook tying the announcement of its
Snapchat lookalike “Camera” to the Justice League
trailer announcement.
Social + TV

Not to be left out, Twitter, fresh off a successful NFL season, has
expanded its presence in live-event coverage. In addition to
regular programming that includes talk shows, cooking how-to’s,
and breaking news broadcasts, the platform has seen success in
covering awards shows. With more on the horizon, we’ll see what
else Twitter has in its bag of tricks.
Social + TV

As previously noted, Facebook and Google have
responded to calls for transparency in performance
measurement. As the two continue adding features
from around the Internet (eg. app launches, lookalike
features, etc.), click-through rates and performance
metrics are becoming more comparable, and the gap
between social and digital advertising is narrowing.
Social + Digital

ROI in terms of cash value and sales influence has long been a
hurdle for social advertising. However, this issue could soon be
squarely in the rear-view mirror.
With statistics behind Pinterest’s purchasing power, the
introduction of visual search, virtual fitting rooms, and updates
to product catalogues on Facebook and Instagram, recording
sales directly within social platforms are getting closer.
Social + eCommerce

What else happened in Q1?
Platform by Platform
Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter
Miscellaneous

Facebook
Coming off of a strong 2016 performance, Facebook was busy
in Q1, seemingly adding every feature possible in its quest to
be the only source of info a person could ever want. Along with
the previously-mentioned additions / battles, Facebook also
took on the following:
• Began work on a weather tool.
• Launched the Facebook Journalism Project.
• Opened negotiations to stream MLB games.
• Created a 360 / VR-viewing app.
• Announced a unified inbox for Facebook, Instagram, and
Messenger.
• Introduced ePayment options to Messenger.
• Continued work on its controversial “Trending” section.
• Added Safety Check to let users alert friends and family
that they are safe during times of crisis.

On the advertising front, Facebook announced a
number of new ad formats and updates to existing ones.
These updates include, including mid-roll placements,
improved re-targeting methods, and collection posts.
Following harsh criticism after admitting mistakes in
performance measurement, the platform announced
updates in measuring completion rates, as well as how
video is ranked within your Newsfeed.
Facebook also announced new payment options,
allowing advertisers to choose to be billed only when
videos are viewed with sound or when the full video is
viewed.
Facebook

In mid-February, Mark Zuckerberg released a manifesto,
detailing his plans to continue building a community around
five focal points:
• Building a supportive community.
• Building a safe community.
• Building an informed community.
• Building a civically-engaged community.
• Building an inclusive community.
Facebook

Carousels (Multi-Image Posts)
Save Live Broadcasts
Booking Appointments
Instagram launched a flurry of updates in Q1, ranging from
letting users save live stories to abandoning its one-image-
per post limit. Check them out here:
Carousels open up a wide array of opportunity in content
creation. Check out these 7 tips for Marketers using the tool.
Instagram

As the platform continues to generate purchasing power
and move further into eCommerce, Instagram put more
tools into marketers’ hands. Heading into Q2, Instagram
made headlines with the following…
• Reaching the 1 million-advertisers milestone.
• Improving the platform’s shopping capabilities.
• Introducing ad placements within stories.
As in recent quarters, Instagram continued its efforts in
establishing a kind, safe community.
A hot topic across the marketing world, see how some
influencers are gaming the current Instagram algorithm.
Instagram

Arguably the biggest news of the quarter in social
media, Snap Inc. went public in their IPO, and NBC
is heavily invested. Speaking of being invested,
Snap has a 5-year, $2B deal with Google for the tech
giant’s cloud services, and the platform has been
snagging serious media deals from publishers.
Over the last 3 months, Evan Spiegel and Co.
remade the platform’s user interface, better
enabling the search function, and made public
stories searchable by content through image
recognition.
Snapchat

Snap was tied to several features and products over
the last 3 months. The self-proclaimed camera
company made Spectacles publicly available and
was rumored to be in the early stages of developing
a drone.
A QR-code that marketers should actually use, the
platform also announced the ability for users to
create custom Snap codes that direct viewers to
web pages.
More rumors surrounded Snap, with talks of Lens
games and moves in advertising that increased the
platform’s attractiveness for advertisers, including
self-service ad creation through VidMob.
Snapchat

While Facebook has been charging, developing
every Snapchat look-a-like possible, that trend may
be slowing down in the coming months. In February,
Snap Inc. hired an engineer to improve the
platforms defense against such copycat features.
While this may not fully stop the barrage, perhaps it
can help slow Facebook’s onslaught enough to give
Snap time to build out more unique, protected
features.
Further in the development side, Snapchat also
announced that it would be prioritizing its Android
product in an effort to retain users and maintain
growth.
Snapchat

Lens: Shazam for everyday objects.
Visual search for similar, related content.
Search every web image for related pins.
Known for its prowess in driving purchase decisions,
Pinterest went on the offensive in attracting marketers in
Q1. Overall, the platform aimed to push its product into
everyday life.
Pinterest

With 93% of U.S. users using the platform to influence
purchases, Pinterest is hoping that these flashy metrics,
along with its latest features aimed at brining the platform
out into the world, will attract more businesses and
marketers to the platform.
Expanding these efforts to draw advertising dollars,
Pinterest launched Pinterest Propel, a self-hosted
advertising platform. Propel aims to help businesses of all
sizes leverage Pinterest ads through…
• Education on the platform and best practices.
• Custom content created by the Pin Factory.
• One-on-one support from platform experts.
Pinterest

We’ve already noted YouTube and the launch of its
monthly TV subscription, but we should note two key
figures driving this move.
1. YouTubers consume over one billion (with a B)
hours of video daily. That’s 10 times more than
Facebook’s 100 million and is currently on-
pace to surpass TV viewership in the U.S.
2. The platform is home to over 1B users,
reaching more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than
any U.S. cable provider.
It’s pretty clear where YouTube, Google, and Alphabet
saw the opportunity to jump into the TV space.
YouTube

YouTube can’t have it all, though. At least, not yet. A
pair of controversies clouded the platform’s quarter.
Carrying over from 2016, there has been increased
scrutiny directed at YouTube for its treatment of some
of its most influential users.
Overarching both Google and YouTube, numerous
advertisers have either slowed or completely halted
campaigns until the media giant can guarantee that a
business’s ads will not run alongside hateful or harmful
content.
YouTube

With the exception of promise in live events, Twitter
was pretty quiet in Q1. The platform dropped its
Dashboard app, a favorite of many advertisers.
Once again, Jack Dorsey focused on community
care, specifically at protecting famous people, and
Twitter introduced an update to its 140-character
limit. Sound familiar?
In an effort to help marketers, Twitter announced
Spring tips and metrics to drive campaign decisions,
as well as releasing Moments analytics. Also,
refusing to let Vine die, Twitter turned the app into a
less-prominent feature.
Twitter

• Social-only publishing is coming.
• Musical.ly launched a video messaging
app in Ping Pong.
• Google is coming for Slack, and launched
a video-watching social app in Uptime.
• Trying to find that one influencer, but
can’t remember their name? Use image
recognition to track them down.
• Amazon-owned Twitch set its sights on
Twitter. Twitch currently owns a large
conversation on the platform through video
games and the emergence of esports.
• Are you an influencer? Amazon launched a
social influencer platform, aiming to draw
more traffic to the eCommerce giant.
• Catching up to the party: Tumblr adds
stickers and filters.
Some extra notes from around the industry in Q1…
Miscellaneous

Here are our top-10 tips for social media success that you
can use on any platform, any time.
As always, SXSW provided a wealth of insight for marketers.
Check out our top-three takeaways.
Let’s break down the latest Facebook algorithm update.
Be ordinary, extraordinarily with Spectacles.
Give your content a boost with these 7 tips for using
Instagram Carousels.
In case you missed it or have a little extra time over
lunch, catch up on our musings from Q1.
Supplemental Reading

THANK  
YOU
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Status Update: Social Media Trends from Q1, 2017

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Status Update: Social Media Trends from Q1, 2017