Yay or Nay: New Social Media Features and Platforms

Instants

While we always encourage business owners to keep an open mind regarding the ever-changing digital landscape, some trends occasionally miss the mark for B2B and B2C marketing. "Instants"—Instagram's new disappearing, unfiltered photo feature—have officially made that list. We don’t anticipate needing to use them for brand strategy any time soon.

Every once in a while, Meta releases a new feature hoping to drive higher in-app engagement. Think back to when they heavily pushed features that went against their core vertical layout, trying to force cinematic ratios that social natives ultimately ignored. We have yet to see a promising use case for Instants outside of brief promotional stunts for audiences that value hyper-trendy, "chronically online" branding. At the moment, Instants clog Instagram’s messaging center, are being aggressively advertised through pop-ups, and have been met with a largely negative response from users who want their DMs left alone.

Threads

On the flip side, Meta’s microblogging platform, Threads, has quietly carved out a valuable space. While the majority of Meta's massive user base stays anchored to Instagram and Facebook, Threads has quietly been adopted by a highly engaged demographic: Gen X and Early Millennials.

Because many brands are only just beginning to add Threads to their content calendars, entering this space now gives your business a rare opportunity. By approaching these specific audiences while the platform continues to steady its growth, your business can become a standout voice in a smaller pond.

LinkedIn’s Video Feed

If you noticed your LinkedIn feed looking a bit more like TikTok recently, you aren't imagining things. The platform has officially leaned into the short-form revolution by introducing a dedicated vertical video tab. Right now, LinkedIn is aggressively pushing video content to compete for user screen time, meaning the organic reach for vertical video is incredibly high. Unlike TikTok, however, you don't need to learn the latest dance trends to succeed here. 

The professional crowd is hungry for short, high-value content: quick industry tips, raw behind-the-scenes looks at your operations, or brief thought-leadership hot takes. If you are already creating video content for other platforms, adapting those assets into sharp, professional 9:16 clips for LinkedIn is one of the easiest ways to get your brand directly in front of corporate decision-makers without spending a dime on ads. 

Navigating the fast-moving currents of social media doesn’t mean your business needs to jump on every single ship that leaves the dock. 

Before you spend valuable time and resources rewriting your content strategy for a new feature, ask yourself three questions:

1. Is my target audience actually spending time here?

2. Does this format allow me to showcase my brand's genuine value?

3. Am I chasing a vanity metric, or building a real connection?

As always, keep your eyes open and invest your creative energy where it will actually move the needle for your business. 

Ready to find the right channels for your business? Don’t worry about guessing which trends are worth your time. We’ll help you cut through the digital noise and build a marketing strategy that delivers results. Reach out to us for a free consultation and let’s grow your brand together.