Instagram has introduced digital business cards
In a world where Instagram is a shop window for business and a CV for individuals, it’s an obvious progression for the platform to now offer a digital business card.
This double sided ‘card’ is a shortcut to networking, getting in front of new audiences and growth.
One side of the card pulls information from the Instagram profile specified such as bio, profile picture and links. The other features a QR code that links directly to the profile. Digital cards are customisable to express brand colours and designs.
Meta says it has used insights that more than half of Gen Z users want to become influencers. So these profile cards can be shared with potential brand collaborators in a quick and easy way to make connections.
Read more here.
Meta releases AI model that can check other AI model’s work
There is a common consensus that AI tools will always need a human hand to guide, check and train in order to produce the best results. However, Meta is doing something about that.
Researchers are testing ways in which two AI models can run alongside one another – one to process information and data and the other to check, highlight errors and enable the programme to learn from its mistakes.
This glimpse into the future where AI is a self-improving model will cause debate on both sides about benefits and dangers.
Jason Weston, one of the researchers, said: “The idea of being self-taught and able to self-evaluate is basically crucial to the idea of getting to this sort of super human level of AI.”
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X expands access to its powerful ‘Radar’ keyword analytics option
X’s latest update to its analytics tools called ‘Radar’ could be of significant value for business users. This lets you set up keyword analytics to track a conversation over time, and measure topical trends related to your sector.
This feature is only available to Premium users who are also granted access to advanced analytical options including X Pro (formerly TweetDeck), Media Studio, and its Grok AI chatbot, amongst other benefits. Whilst there is a price attached to these advanced features, it could be worth considering as an investment into market knowledge, customer sentiment and potential new product development.
X is declining in value for most brands, so the demand for its Premium offerings has decreased over the last couple of years but, with 500 million monthly active users, X does still hold some influence, so if your audience is still here on a regular basis, it could be one to consider.
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TikTok offers improved in-store sales tracking
TikTok has partnered with a location date company, InMarket, to help businesses measure the impact of their ads on in-store visits, tapping in to how successful online promotions are at influencing consumer behaviour.
This new process will provide a more specific perspective on what messaging, imagery, calls to action or offers work best with different audiences, connecting the dots between online exposure and offline activity.
This new development will be a useful tool for marketers to measure the impact of TikTok campaigns as well as improving the in-store performance of promotions.
Read more here.
Data suggests that X is in a difficult financial position
The troubled platform X is not attracting as many premium users as it had hoped and looks set to post a significant loss in 2024.
Leaked internal documents show that subscriptions to X Premium make up just 6% of total revenue as opposed to the estimate of 50% that the platform had predicted.
The decline in ad revenues has seen turnover drop from $4.4bn in 2022; $3.4bn in 2023 and now an estimated $2.9bn for 2024.
With more political messaging on the platform discouraging a lot of brands and users, the outcome of the US election seems pivotal for the future of X in 2025 and beyond.
Read more here.