Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner...
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New week, fresh insights, Alluser! Stay sharp with the latest updates on AI, social media marketing, and emerging trends. Here's what you need to know.
In today's edition:
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Bridging the brand gap in your stage 1 LinkedIn ads
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Instagram Updates: Edits App Features, Inbox Tools, Pinnable Comments, and More
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🗞️ Industry news from YouTube and Threads
Stage 1 Ads That Bridge Personal Credibility and Brand Recognition
Your top-performing LinkedIn ad might not even mention your brand, and that could be a problem.
In Stage 1 of the funnel, Thought Leader Ads are outperforming polished brand campaigns because they feel human, spark authentic connections, and build trust quickly with cold audiences. Every like, share, and comment expands your retargeting pool.
But there's a hidden challenge: the trust you're building is often established with a person, not your company. When your brand ad shows up next in the funnel, many prospects don't make the connection, and that subtle disconnect can quietly weaken your strategy.
For marketers, this gap matters. AJ Wilcox has a way to bridge personal credibility with brand recognition—and keep your funnel flowing strong. Read and watch more here.
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On this week's Social Media Marketing Talk Show, host Jerry Potter breaks down the latest Instagram news and what it means for marketers like you.
Pinnable Comments
Instagram has expanded its pin comments feature in a way that creates new opportunities for marketers to guide their audience's attention and actions. Previously, the platform only allowed users to pin comments from other people on their posts and reels. Now, creators can pin their own comments on both posts and reels.
This update provides marketers with several strategic advantages. First, it offers a legitimate reason to comment on your own content before anyone else does, which can encourage engagement by showing that the conversation has already started. This small psychological trigger can make other users more likely to add their own comments.
The ability to pin your own comments opens up multiple use cases for marketers. You can add additional context to your posts that might not have fit in the original caption. You can include calls to action that direct users to take specific steps. While you still cannot include clickable links in comments, you can direct users to memorable URLs that are easy to type, such as a straightforward domain name.
This feature also allows you to answer frequently asked questions by pinning a comment that addresses the most common inquiries about your content. One particularly powerful application involves providing updates on ongoing situations. Imagine posting content about an upcoming event or announcement with a note that more information will follow. Later, you can return to that post and pin a comment with the update, ensuring that anyone discovering the content—even days or weeks later—immediately sees the most current information.
The feature also enables you to respond to emerging patterns in your comments section. If many people ask the same question or express similar concerns, you can pin a comprehensive answer that addresses these points, saving you from repeatedly responding to individual comments with the same information.
Enhanced Inbox Tools for Direct Message Marketing
For marketers who conduct business through Instagram's direct messages, the platform has introduced several new inbox management tools that significantly improve organization and efficiency.
The first major addition is the ability to create custom folders for organizing messages. This feature allows you to streamline communications and categorize conversations based on your specific needs. If you're managing leads through Instagram DMs, you can now create folders to track prospects at different stages of your sales funnel. If you run promotions or campaigns, you can create folders specific to each initiative, making it easy to reference past conversations or analyze the success of different marketing efforts.
Instagram has also added new filtering options that let you sort messages according to various criteria. You can now filter messages by the follower count of the person messaging you, which can help you prioritize responses to influencers or high-value contacts. The verification status filter allows you to quickly identify messages from verified accounts, which can be useful for managing partnership inquiries or identifying potential impersonation attempts. Additional filtering criteria provide even more ways to organize and prioritize your inbox.
Perhaps the most valuable addition for many marketers is a dedicated folder specifically for story replies. This folder automatically separates responses to your stories from your general message inbox. For brands that post frequent stories and receive numerous replies, this organizational tool becomes invaluable.
The dedicated story replies folder allows you to strategically prioritize your engagement. You can choose to focus first on people who engage with your stories—often your most engaged followers—or you can prioritize your main inbox, depending on which type of interaction is more important to your business goals at any given time. This separation also makes it easier to identify patterns in how people respond to different types of stories, potentially informing your content strategy.
More Features, Tools, Changes, and Updates Discussed Include:
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Audience Growth Milestone
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Native iPad App and Viewing Habits
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User-Controlled Algorithm Changes
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Shots Content Expansion
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Edits App Features
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Vertical Live Streaming Discovery
Watch it on YouTube 
Threads Launches 'Communities' to Spark Interest-Based Conversations: Meta is introducing Communities on Threads—casual, public hubs for people to explore shared interests. Each community features its own Like emoji, a pinned presence in your feed, and public membership visibility on your profile. With over 100 test groups already live, Threads plans to roll out contributor badges and enhanced ranking in feeds to keep the most relevant conversations front and center. Meta
YouTube Pilots Open Call for Branded Content Deals: YouTube has introduced Open Call, a new BrandConnect pilot that offers Shorts-focused sponsorship opportunities to eligible U.S. creators in the Partner Program. Aimed at those new to brand deals, Open Call allows creators to submit uneditable Shorts for potential brand use, with earnings up to $3,500. Submissions and payment are managed through the YouTube Studio app, and selected content may be used in ads for up to 180 days. The pilot runs through December 2025. YouTube
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