Changes and updates to Facebook and Instagram from the past 30 days. 

• Instagram turned ten this month and in honor of the anniversary the platform has rolled out a handful of fun and helpful features, while also publicly committing to pledge support for small businesses and creators in future updates. The roll out includes an option for users to stroll down memory lane by browsing old stories and by date and location, a secret setting allowing users to choose their instagram icon and yes, the retro style is an option. As for future updates targeted at small businesses, nothing has been announced yet, but keep your eyes peeled for features that give businesses and creators more insight on their audience. 
• Recently Instagram announced new on-platform, in-app shopping features for all eligible US businesses and creators with a shop. The new checkout process utilizes Facebook Pay and makes buying off the app that much easier for both sellers and buyers. Also announced was the release of Live Shopping, which allows users to buy items available for purchase in real time from a Live. Even more exciting news, the company waved all selling fees through checkout on Instagram through the end of year. 
• Facebook launches a test of new ‘Neighborhoods’ feature to select users. The goal of the gesture is to connect people within their local community and general area. The feature is being tested in parts of Canada where community members have the option to connect with neighbors and find information about local events, all through the Facebook app. To use the neighborhood update you need to create a separate profile to your main Facebook account and are required to share your location with the app to ensure your local group placement is accurate. 
• New marketing options for the Holidays have been made available by Facebook. With the holidays just around the corner, the social network announced new ad settings that will improve the selling experience for retailers. The most exciting feature will be the ability to tag products in Instagram ads from within Business Manager. This gives brands more creative flexibility for paid social while also encouraging shoppers to convert into buyers. The app is also adding new Custom Audience options to help business accounts retarget. A statement from the company explains, “With Shopping Engagement Custom Audiences, businesses now have the ability to reach people who’ve already shown interest in their product or brand by doing things like saving a product, viewing a shop or initiating a purchase.” Both updates could have huge impacts for businesses. 
• After months of testing, Facebook rolls out simplified access to news feed sorting options to select users. The update will present users with three different sorting options to view your main feed: Most Recent, Favorites, and Home. Most Recent shows the same order as you’d see in your ranked feed, except in reverse chronological order with newer posts shown at the top. Favorites is kind of like your Instagram home page. It shows posts from the people and pages you engage the most with and also allows you to add up to 30 friends to your Favorites list to ensure their content will be shown on your feed. Lastly, Home is the default setting. Now users have at least some control over their news feed. 

A small but exciting update for Instagram Reels lovers, the latest update stretches maximum video length from 15 to 30 seconds. The update also includes in app editing tools as well as new timer settings.

In your corner,

Katie