6 Social Media Features Every Business Owner Should Know

According to Pew Research Center, 69 percent of adults are now using social networking sites, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter. As that number continues to increase, so do consumer expectations — leading to countless updates with new features designed to enhance the overall user experience.

Many of these will prove invaluable to business owners. Here’s a closer look at six recent social media updates that we think every business owner should know:

Facebook features every business owner should know:

1. Save Links for Later

There’s no shortage of interesting content on Facebook. If only there were time to read it all!

Facebook: Awhile ago, we recommended using Pocket to save content for later viewing. It’s still a great productivity tool, but now the process is available directly through Facebook. Here’s how you do it:

• At the top right corner of a post, you’ll notice a drop-down menu. Click the Save Link option.
• Once you’ve saved the link, you’ll see a notification appear above the post that says “Added to Saved.” Notice that the word “Saved” is hyperlinked. Simply click through to view your saved content.
• To access the post later on, find the click on the Saved tab below “Explore” on the left column of your Facebook home page (or visit https://www.facebook.com/saved/).

Instagram: Like Facebook, Instagram recently launched a similar feature that allows users to bookmark photos or ads (without the owner of the post finding out). See the step-by-step guide visual below:

• Find the post you want to save, and click on the bookmark icon on the bottom right of the photo.
• To access the post, return to your profile and click on the same tag button. This time, it should be on the right side of the four menu options above your photos.
• Here, you will find a “Saved” folder of your photos, labeled “All.”
• To organize the photos, switch to “Collections” and group the photos however you please.

2. Access and Download Your Facebook Data

Analytics are invaluable to every business owner — and thankfully, Facebook provides a feature that makes it easier than ever for business page owners to access and download data. Here’s how:

• Click on the drop-down list at the top right of any Facebook page (the same place you go to log out). Click Settings.
• You should end up on a page titled “General Account Settings.” At the bottom of this page click Download a copy of your Facebook data.
• Click through and select Start My Archive.

When you’re done, you’ll automatically have access to past posts. photos, videos, messages, chats — even ad data. To learn more, visit Accessing Your Facebook Data in the Facebook Help Center.

3. Manage Multiple Instagram Accounts Simultaneously

This highly-anticipated Instagram feature was a welcome addition, particularly for users who manage personal and brand accounts from the same device. No more logging out and logging back in — just follow the steps below.

• Open Instagram and click on your profile. Click on the Settings icon next to “Edit Profile.”
• Click Add Account near the bottom of the page.
• Enter the information for the account you want to add, or click on the “Sign up” link below.

Instagram currently allows users to add up to five separate accounts. Once setup is complete, it’s easy to navigate between accounts. Just click on your username at the top of your profile, or hold down your profile icon at the bottom right corner of the app.

4. Geotag Instagram Posts

Instagram has more than 700 million monthly active users, so anything you can do to expand your reach is a good thing. Geotagging allows you to add a location to each of your photos, which helps provide your audience with more context and increases your visibility.

• To geotag existing photo, click on the post and click on the three dots above the top right of the post. Click Edit, then Add Location under your username.
• To geotag a new photo, click Add Location on the same page where you enter a caption. Choose from the suggested locations or enter your own.

After you tag a location, your photo will show up for any user who clicks on that geotag (assuming your profile is public). This will increase visibility for your post (and hopefully earn you some more likes!).

5. Use Twitter Polls to Engage Followers

Now, Twitter users can create and embed polls directly into their Tweets. Gone are the days where business owners had to improvise by tracking favorites or hashtags — surveying is now a sleek and accessible Twitter feature.
To test it out, click on the “Add poll” option in the tweet composer. Enter up to four choices, and set the length of the poll (for up to seven days).

This feature is perfect for maintaining customer engagement and gathering feedback from your audience. You can ask about their favorite products, gather intel on which types of content they prefer or just keep it fun!

Twitter polls are also a great way to expand your reach. Users can not only retweet polls, but also cast their vote in a retweeted poll.

Results will automatically update as votes come in. Once the poll expires, all tweets containing the poll question will display the final results.

6. See Best Tweets First

Twitter currently has more than 328 million monthly active users, and an average of 500 million Tweets sent per day.

There’s simply too much activity to keep up with, even if a user follows a relatively small number of accounts. But with Twitter’s “best tweets first” feature, it’s much easier to keep up with the most important news on your feed.

Initially designed to keep users updated with the most relevant news, this feature also provides businesses with a second opportunity to earn previously-missed exposure. Additionally, users who take advantage of this feature also tend to tweet and retweet more often — offering another added bonus for brands hoping to expand their reach.

7. Consider a Snapchat Geofilter

Snapchat may seem like it’s strictly for Millennials, but it can also be used as a fun and inexpensive advertising tool.

Over the past year, you might have noticed an increased number of custom designs used to distinguish specific locations or events. These illustrations — known as Geofilters — are available to individuals and businesses, and can be used for anything from a casual gathering to a city-wide event.

We recently made this custom filter for our company-wide Fourth of July fireworks party. According to Snapchat people, our filter was seen by 1963 people. Talk about great brand visibility!

Wrap-up

There you have it. Every one of these social media features can help expand your reach. If you’re using these new Facebook, Instagram and Twitter features, or have suggestions of your own, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

As always, if you need help managing your social media followers, we’re only a click away.

Updated 8/1/17; Originally published 3/24/16