New updates to social media platforms amidst COVID-19

Its never been a more vital time to stay up to date with the changes happening on social media. Social media is one of the most valuable tools to equestrian businesses during COVID-19, helping us stay connected with our customers and even keeping our businesses ticking over.

Both Facebook and Instagram have implemented big changes to their platforms since the start of the pandemic, offering more ways to support users and businesses. We have narrowed down the most important updates for you below, and we can expect to see even more changes in the coming months.

You will have noticed that live streams are more popular than ever before. Without the ability to interact face to face many businesses are finding live streaming a great way to communicate with their customers. Facebook has announced that in addition to live videos they will be releasing an “audio-only’ live mode with automatic captions. Think of it as Facebook’s very first live podcast feature! Great for those in your business that are camera shy but want to contribute to your page.

Facebook’s very first messenger app for desktops is now available to download. As an equestrian business, this can help you stay on top of your daily messages without the need to go into Facebook. It’s built for video conferencing so may be great if you want to do one-on-one consultations/ training. You can download the app here.

Users on Facebook can now silence all notifications using the “Quite Mode” feature on Facebook. The idea behind it is to encourage Facebook users to walk away from their screens. Although it sounds counter-intuitive to encourage users away from their own platform, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted concerns over the impact social media has on mental health. This is one of the ways Facebook is demonstrating their corporate responsibility to the issue. For equestrian businesses, this may mean that you see a delayed response to posts and private messages.

To support small businesses during the pandemic, Instagram has now made it possible to add click-through buttons on your profile to your chosen platform. You have the option to add a ‘Gift Cards’, ‘Order Food’ or ‘Donate’ button beside your message button. When users click on it they can continue their purchase. If you run an Ecommerce store or online saddlery you should definitely be offering gift cards on this feature.

Up until now, your Instagram messages were only available to read and reply to on the mobile app. You can now do all of this from the desktop version of Instagram. Hooray! This makes responding to your direct messages more efficient and faster!

We can help you navigate or use these updates to their best ability. Contact us here.