September has come and gone but there are new digital marketing changes that aren't going anywhere!

Keep reading for some of the biggest news and updates that came to digital marketing in the past month.

A Possible End to Facebook Likes

Facebook may be following in Instagram’s footsteps.

Facebook recently confirmed to TechCrunch that they are considering testing like removal on their platform. This could have been spurred by Instagram’s expansive testing of like removal in seven countries.

Want to know more details about Instagram’s like removal testing? Click here to learn more.

So, what is the purpose of these changes toward removing likes?

Considering the impact that social platforms and likes have had on mental health in recent years, companies like Facebook are looking at how to cut down this impact and make their platforms healthier places for users to enjoy. Stay tuned to see how Facebook plans to act on this idea.

McDonald's Acquires Apprente

McDonald's is looking to embrace new technology to build their business.

The company has already moved toward operating their stores with digital kiosks but now they have bought a start-up, Apprente, for automating a voice-based drive-thru ordering system.

This, however, has not been McDonald’s first move toward buying into tech companies and new technological concepts. McDonald's has been working with companies like Dynamic Yield and Plexure.

They have also created their own technology group called McD Tech Labs. By taking part in technological changes with the creation of their own group, McDonald's is proving their commitment to changing customer expectations and are looking to build a more efficient system for customers.

There are tons of new ways to bring voice search into your marketing plan even as a small business. We discuss just how important it is in our blog.

Instagram Shadowbans

Have you recently had issues with low engagement on Instagram?

Other than the typical dips in engagement that come with social media, this could be the cause of what HubSpot is identifying as a shadowban.

A shadowban involves Instagram blocking a user on social media without their knowledge. This can affect showing up in hashtags, being seen on explore pages, etc.

From Instagram’s perspective, shadowbanning is useful in that it weeds out users who gain their followers from bots or post irrelevant hashtags. This ban takes unrelated posts or profiles out of users explore feeds.

If you feel you have fallen victim to this, it is necessary to understand why you were targeted by Instagram and to make the proper adjustments.

Consider narrowing and refining your hashtag use, don’t spam others by following and commenting in excess, and make sure you are gaining followers organically.

Keep an eye out to see if your engagement is down because it could be the result of Instagram’s shadowban.

Here is a blog resource for more tips on how to improve your Instagram marketing!

Instagram Scheduling and Facebook Video Tool Updates

Video channels on Instagram and Facebook are changing in big ways for creators on the platforms.

Facebook is changing its live-streaming service through Live API by adding a “rehearsal” feature for editors and admins to see a video live before it goes out to followers. They are also making live streams up to eight hours long and are allowing users to stream their live video on multiple platforms at once.

Creator Studio will be adding new metrics to give further insight into the loyalty of viewers by measuring which videos drive viewers to return (Remember, we talked about Creator Studio in August's News Roundup, too!)

One of the most anticipated changes is the scheduling option for Instagram feed and IGTV content for up to six months. This relieves the pressure of putting up posts as now, users can schedule them to go up in the future once the content is done being created.

All of these updates are great news for businesses that are creating and putting out video content for users on social media, so keep your eye out for these changes!

Facebook has also made updates to its ads manager service that are worth knowing. Click here for more information.

Use Screenshots to Search the Google App

Although it is still in beta testing, it has come out that Google is looking to allow screenshots as a way to search the app.

This will give users another form of visual search on the app as well as screenshot editing and sharing options. This means you can look forward to more convenient ways of searching and finding the information you need!

Companies like Google are at the forefront of technological change! Make sure to check out the other updates to Google’s platform with their advertising metrics, local pack groupings and screened program.

Those are all the updates we have for you right now! Don't forget to subscribe to our blog so you can get our updates sent directly to your inbox!