We’re coming to the end of July, which means we’re ready for another social media roundup!
From YouTube to Threads, new features have been implemented and platforms have continued to grow – here’s what’s been going on in the social media world throughout July…
YouTube Updates Their Analytics
Channel Managers will now be giving channel managers more insights when it comes to their audience engagement, with expanded information on new and returning viewers. As per YouTube: “We’re introducing deeper audience insights to help creators understand their viewers beyond just ‘New’ and ‘Returning.’ Creators will now be able to see granular segmentation based on long-term viewer behaviour, including ‘New’, ‘Casual,’ and ‘Regular’ viewers.
The goal is to help creators build better content strategies and grow their audience.”. These changes have now been rolled out globally.
YouTube have also recommended that users go for a more community-focused approach, utilising the community post section and engaging with commenters can help to boost your audience interaction, and with their new ‘most relevant’ option, you can find the best comments and questions to reply to quickly.
Instagram Reels Extended
Late last month, Instagram Reel lengths were extended to 20 minutes. This means you can upload content like tutorials, how-to’s or whatever your business chooses to make on the platform without having to worry about fitting everything in a short timeframe. However, you must consider your audience in this – do they enjoy longer videos, or do they lean more towards short form? Whilst incorporating longer videos can be beneficial, be mindful of what your audience engages with most.
YouTube To Demonetise Mass Produced AI Content
If you’ve leant into AI for your YouTube Marketing, make sure you’re staying compliant with YouTubes new guidelines around using AI content. Noted as a ‘minor’ policy, YouTube guidelines will begin to crack down on what they call ‘inauthentic’ content and identify mass-produced and repetitive videos – including content made by AI.
Threads Continues to See Growth
Threads celebrated it’s 2-year anniversary this month, and after the initial hype of the apps launch back in 2023, it’s now starting to see a return in momentum thanks to their new updates over the last few months. They’ve even appointed a Head of Threads this month, which Instagram Head Adam Mosseri says despite still being a part of Instagram, he “want[s] to make sure we take [Threads] as seriously as our other apps, and so it needs a dedicated lead.
They’ve added some additional updates to their analytics this month – further help to marketers who are starting to invest in using the platform. On the updates have said the following: “You can now tap metrics within the Insights dashboard for more detailed information. For example, tapping the Interactions section shows engagement by likes, replies, quotes and reposts, while tapping the Followers section shows follower growth with geographic data, including top cities and countries, and demographic information like age range and gender.”
So that means you find can more information on the demographics of your audience, you’ll also have new charts showing your interactions and you can see if your posts are being seen via other apps. All of this information can be crucial to planning your social media schedule and ensuring your posts are correctly targeted towards the right audience, so make sure you’re keeping track of these analytics often to keep your marketing on track.
Google AI to Call Business Owners
Google AI will now be able to call business owners to save people from doing it themselves in a new update.
Users will just enter their query, and AI will find the information for them using readily available information and automated calls. It will then present the information in a summary format based off what it’s found. As explained by Google: “From pet grooming to dry cleaning needs, Search can now call businesses to get pricing and availability information on your behalf — without you needing to pick up the phone. To get started, search for something like ‘pet groomers near me’ and you’ll see a new option in the results to ‘Have AI check pricing.’ From there, you can submit your request and Search will do the rest, consolidating information about appointments and services from different businesses to present you with a range of options.”
That’s all for July! Have a fantastic August and remember to keep an eye out for any further updates over the coming month.
Finally, your social media tip is: You do not need high production to make video work in your ads.
In fact, sometimes a simple video filmed on your phone outperforms everything else.
The goal is not perfection, it is connection.
Show your face. Talk directly to your audience.
Explain what you offer and why it matters, clearly and calmly.
Keep the video short. Thirty seconds can be enough.
Use captions so people can follow along with the sound off.
And always end with a clear call-to-action.
Video builds trust. It makes you feel real.
That alone can drive more clicks and conversions than a polished graphic
