As we kick off a brand-new year, we are looking forward to what new and exciting tools will be introduced in 2018. Social media is constantly changing, and there are always new methods of improving brand awareness, being more productive, managing your time, and increasing ROI. So what new resources will emerge in 2018 that will help us stay up on new trends, improve our content, reach our goals, and ensure we are being leaders in social media? Here are our top “what’s new for social at the U” for 2018:

 

  1. Facebook Workplace:

 

Facebook has traditionally been used to stay connected to family and friends. But now people can use the platform to stay in touch with co-workers too. The company recently introduced Workplace, an interface that facilitates group communications and collaborative file sharing. It offers all the signature features users have come to expect from Facebook—including news feeds, “Live” broadcasts, reactions, trending posts, and robust search functionality—but with a focus on serving users in a corporate environment. Workplace has taken the best of Facebook’s UI and restructured it to act as a global and mobile office space.

 

  1. Twitter Threads

 

Twitter is a platform that has always been driven by brevity, keeping content short and concise. However, with recent updates like the expansion to 280 characters and the opportunity to create threads, users can now flesh out their content and cover topics that may have been impossible to explore in 140 characters.

 

  1. Instagram Highlights

 

Many people use Instagram posts like a highlight reel of their lives. Now, Instagram is offering an option to create your own literal highlight reels. Users can choose their favorite stories and save them to the top of their profiles, creating a different kind of display. This feature allows brands to share their most important elements, giving followers a deeper look into the brand as a whole.

 

  1. Adobe Premiere Clip

 

This new functionality offers users the ability to edit video remotely on their cellphones. As we say in social, life moves fast and the best camera you have is the one you have with you. The ability to shoot and edit video on the fly means added flexibility for users, and added engagement for audiences. if you’re looking for a way to easily create professional-looking videos, Adobe Premiere Clip could be just what you want.

 

  1. Signal

 

In an age where privacy has become more and more limited, a secure instant messaging application where client details and confidential business information can be discussed is likely to be extremely popular. Signal uses an advanced, end-to-end encryption protocol that provides privacy for all content sent on the network (Fontein, 2017). The app will be especially helpful to social media users, who are turning more and more toward instant messaging apps. Snapchat is a great example: many use it for instant messaging with visuals, and also for instant-response texting.

 

  1. Habit Minder

 

The New Year is a great time to make a fresh start and establish new goals. Habit Minder keeps you on track by reminding you of the good intentions that come with setting goals. For example, it can remind you to drink water, go for a walk, or take a break. The app also allows you to track your progress and analyzes statistics for each goal set. A lot of us—including those who work in social—could really use some reminders about health and well-being. Fully 80 percent of workers say they feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help learning how to manage stress, and 42 percent say their coworkers need such help (AIS, 2017). Not managing stress can severely affect your performance at work—and in this fast-paced environment, everyone needs to be sharp.

 

  1. Rocketium

 

We all know that video is an integral part of social media. The good news is you don’t have to be a seasoned video pro to create stylish, good-looking video content. Apps like Rocketium are “video creation made easy for everyone.” This app enables those with little or no design experience to craft professional-looking videos in minutes.

 

  1. Swiipe News

 

Always on the go, but need to stay up on what’s going on in the world? Swiipe News is perfect for busy social media workers who get most of their news right from their mobile devices. Catering to a world that seems to love swiping, this application allows you to quickly scroll through different headlines and stories and customize your feed to filter the news you really need or want to see.

 

  1. Planoly

 

In the busy world of social media it’s nice to have resources to keep you organized. Planoly describes itself as “the first visual planner for Instagram.” The app allows you to create an aesthetic for your Instagram, helping you stay on brand and maintain consistency. The “visual planner” also allows you to see how your individual post will look in your Instagram grid, in addition to providing further data gathered from each post.

 

  1. Datally

 

Using mobile devices to access social media is extremely common: 43.6 percent of social media traffic is done through mobile (Stat Counter, 2018). And some social platforms, Snapchat and Instagram among them, were actually designed for mobile. With such heavy phone use, It can be difficult to keep track of your monthly data allowance. With Google’s Datally you can track and manage usage to better understand, control, and save data.

 

 

 

 

Be social. Stay social. #UMSocial

 

 

Post written by McKenna Whipple, Social Media Content Strategist at The University of Michigan.

 

 

Fontein, Dana. (2017). 11 Social Media Apps You Should Be Using in 2018. Hootsuite. 

 

N.A. (2017). Rocketium. 

 

N.A. (2017). Workplace Stress. The American Institute of Stress.

 

We Are Social; StatCounter. (2018). Percentage of all global web pages served to mobile phones from 2009 to 2017. StatCounter.