Political analysts, the media, hopeful celebs, pollsters, astrologers not even Republicans could have predicted the Trump win. It’s fair to say even Trump himself was surprised by the result. So who could have seen it coming? How could this turn of events have been predicted? The answer, however, lay in social media analytics; the data-driven sage of our digital age.
President-Elect Donald Trump has since affirmed that the social networks were instrumental in his victory. He told CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday: “The fact that I have such power in terms of numbers with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc… helped me win.” He even said he spent less than Clinton on paid media, thanks to the strength of his social following – despite the fact his social privileges were reportedly frozen prior to the election. Proving once again that effective social strategies are worth a lot more than pure spend.
Trump has since pledged to become ‘restrained’ on social now as he readies himself for the top job, to be more in line with outgoing president Barack Obama’s strategy — the considered, pragmatic style of our first social media @POTUS.
Facebook is trilaling a new jobs feature on its business Pages. The new feature could compete with LinkedIn, as well as developers like Work4, Workable and Jobscore that build “Jobs” tab applications that allow businesses to embed in their Facebook Pages. Perhaps Facebook was prepping for these new features when it tested Profile Tags last year that mimic LinkedIn’s endorsements feature.
Facebook opens sponsored messages to all developers in newest version of Messenger
A new version of Facebook Messenger has paved the way for advertising on the platform. As part of a new update, Facebook announced it would make sponsored messages — where advertisers are able to send you messages on the platform — generally available to all advertisers. Users will be able to block unwanted messages though, and businesses won’t be able to target users they don’t have an existing chat relationship with.
61% of Australians are on Facebook
A new study by Social Media News has found that 61% of the total Australian population are active monthly users on Facebook, that’s approximately 15,000,000 people. Considering anyone under 13 years is ‘technically’ prohibited from signing up, and anyone above 80 is less likely to use social networks, this goes to show that Facebook has massive penetration into the Australian market. This is almost certainly why Facebook profits are soaring, threatening traditional media budgets and ad spends.
WhatsApp adds GIFs to iOS app
WhatsApp users can now share GIFs in its messaging application on iOS. The new feature allows users to send and receive GIFs, including Live Photos and shorter videos. To find your GIF library, click on the photo and video library and then select the GIF option.
Pinterest beefs up ad measurement
Pinterest is offering a wealth of new data to measurement tech companies. New York-based Moat will track viewability for advertisers, and mobile-geared AppsFlyer, Kochava, Tune, Adjust and Apsalar will also join the program. The platform is also welcoming Neustar, Krux, mParticle and Experian to help brands match their own data with Pinterest’s insights.
Michael Kors takes to WeChat for Singles Day promotion
Singles Day, the Chinese calendar date that celebrates, well, being single and ready to mingle, is on track to generate $20 billion this year through online promotions; and handbag giant Michael Kors has got in on the action with a WeChat campaign. The brand posted GIFs and interactive games, including a casino-themed shoppable blog post, to its WeChat account that centred around the theme of ‘one’. This is the second year that Michael Kors has participated in Singles’ Day, which Alibaba started making a “thing” in 2009.
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