Instagram Reels vs TikTok, New Google Ads Insight & More

Business News from 15 November to 19 November 2021

Monday, 15 November 2021 News Highlights

• Instagram has added text-to-speech and voice effects to Reels, providing a similar offering to TikTok. The new features will help people with vision impairments to hear a spoken version of content with written text, creating a more inclusive platform.
• Google is rolling out product feed support for awareness and consideration Video Campaign subtypes, allowing advertisers to make their Video Campaign more shoppable and efficient without having to use TrueView for Shopping Campaigns.
• LinkedIn has officially launched its own marketplace to provide freelance SEO and PPC professionals a platform to market their services.

Missed last week’s news? Catch up on the record Black Friday sales forecast, QLD tourism recovery grants and more! 

Tuesday, 16 November 2021 News Highlights

• YouTube has started hiding dislikes on videos from viewers. The Google-owned company said the change comes to promote inclusivity by eliminating negativity.
• Facebook will be rolling out new features including Shops in Groups, product recommendations and a Live Shopping for Creators in preparation for the holiday season.
• TikTok is testing features allowing creators to reply to comments via video and a ‘recommended’ and ‘favourite’ comments feed.

Wednesday, 17 November 2021 News Highlights

• Creatopy has found Instagram Reels has outperformed TikTok on ad reach and impressions after testing an identical ad on both platforms.
• Google Maps will be rolling out the following features to improve the local shopping experience:
• • Ability to see how busy a particular area is.
  • Updated Directory Tab for certain industries.
  • Allowing customers to order groceries for pickup.
  • More details on a restaurant’s price range, amenities, takeaway services and more.
• Instagram is testing user identity verification via video selfies to try and prevent bots hacking the platform.

Thursday, 18 November 2021 News Highlights

• Move over paying ‘cash or card’! New data from NMI has revealed 83% of consumers prefer to tap their mobile devices to pay over traditional methods. 73% of respondents said this was due to convenience and speed.
• Google are releasing new local news features on Google Search to make it easier for users to find content from news publishers in your community.
• Spotify will be launching Podcast Subscriptions globally, allowing creators to label episodes as “subscriber only” content to 33 new markets worldwide.

Friday, 19 November 2021 News Highlights

• Google Ads are providing businesses with access to more data on the Insights Page by launching Demand Forecasts, Consumer Interest Insights, Audience Insights, Change History Insights and Auction Insights features.
• Meta has been testing new ways for users to adjust their preferences of content they want to see on their Facebook News Feeds.
• Apple has been reportedly speeding up their development of debuting its full self-driving electric car by 2025.