How and Why to Stay Up-to-Date with the Latest Social Media Updates

If you are a social media manager like me, then you probably spend more than 8 hours per day scrolling on various social media platforms.

The problem is this: social media managers often spend endless hours scrolling through social media thinking they're staying updated with the latest social media news and updates. Newsflash: they're not!

Before we explain why they're not, let's discuss what we mean by staying up-to-date with the latest social media updates and why it is of utmost importance.

What Does It Mean to Be Up to Date with Social Media Updates?

Do you know what separates top-notch social media managers from mediocre ones?

Here is what: Mediocre managers focus on new viral challenges (activities or tasks that gain widespread popularity), memes, hashtags, events & stories of celebrities such as Hollywood actors, signers, or soccer players.

They think incorporating popular trends into their social media strategy and content creation will yield remarkable results for their client's brands.

I am not saying that it won't. Riding the wave of these trends can capture attention, engage your audience, and generate positive outcomes.

The professionals I know are really into social media platforms themselves, putting more emphasis on how the platforms work rather than what's happening on them.

They delve deeply into the functioning of these platforms, analyzing the algorithms, rules, and policies, to effectively leverage their potential.

Why Staying Up to Date with Social Media Updates Is Crucial?

With this AI revolution we are living in currently, social media platforms are updating everything they can to adapt to this game-changing technology.

By the way, did you read my blog about how AI can affect us as social media managers?

In the ever-evolving social media field, updates are not only more regular but also more powerful than ever before. Neglecting to stay abreast of these updates can badly harm your clients' online presence.

To emphasize the importance of this point further, here is a list of the benefits:

• Enhanced Visibility: Utilize new features and algorithms to boost online visibility, reach a wider audience, gain more followers, and enhance brand awareness.
  
• Targeted Advertising: Stay updated on social media platform improvements for precise ad targeting, reaching specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures that your ads are seen by the right audience, boosting conversion rates and ROI.
  
• Real-Time Customer Insights: Social media updates often include improved analytics and reporting features. By staying informed, you can gain valuable insights into your audience's behavior and preferences.
  
• Safeguarding Online Reputation: You can avoid violations, penalties, or having your content removed, thus protecting your online reputation.

How You Can Stay Up to Date with These Updates?

Good information, updates, and helpful news are everywhere. You just need to be awake and kill (ruthlessly) the laziness so you have a great edge over your competitors.

Here is a big list of resources that if you follow, you will be 100x better than you were before.

• Reputable websites:

1. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/
2. https://www.adweek.com/social-marketing/
3. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology

• YouTube channels:

1. Social Media Examiner: https://www.youtube.com/@SocialMediaExaminer
2. Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel
3. Gary Vee: https://www.youtube.com/@garyvee

• The main platforms themselves:

Every social media platform maintains distinct pages dedicated to sharing its latest updates with users.

• Meta:

https://about.fb.com/news/

https://www.facebook.com/formedia/blog

• TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog

https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/

• LinkedIn:

https://news.linkedin.com/topic/data-and-insights

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/linkedin-news/

• Instagram:

https://about.instagram.com/blog

https://business.instagram.com/blog

Also, these platforms are providing other different sources of information such as In-app notifications, email notifications, help centers…

• Google Alerts:

This method I'm about to share is incredibly efficient and requires very little time to stay informed about the latest social media trends. Personally, I find it to be the most useful approach.

Literally, this method makes Google bring you news, updates, and events related to the subject you want.

To set up Google alerts:

1- Go to https://www.google.com/alerts

2- Enter the topic you want to follow. Example: Meta updates.

3- Enter your email.

4- Click on “Create Alert”

Here you go now once something new is released about Meta, you will get an email.

Nuelink in Action: A Real-life Example of the Business Benefits of Staying Up to Date

You're already familiar with Nuelink, your favorite social media management and automation tool. As advocates of staying constantly updated, we actively seek the latest news and developments to maintain our edge over competitors (which we've already been successful at, but we're hungry for more). Interestingly, we recently learned that third-party platforms will soon offer the ability to schedule Instagram stories after Meta added Instagram Stories posting capacity into its Instagram Graph API. And guess what? We'll be the first to provide this feature to our users.

Listen up: If you're truly committed to excelling in your job and delivering outstanding results for your clients, it's imperative that you embrace this approach. Stay informed and up to date with every minute detail and change that arises across various social media platforms because it may be the key for you to thrive. As they say: "In a major matter no details are small".