Recent Instagram updates, new Facebook features, varying Twitter timelines… Social platforms seem to change guidelines, add features, and make renovations practically every day. While some updates may go unnoticed, others hit you in the face and necessitate a complete overhaul in your daily habits.

And then there are new improvements that could make your marketing life easier, if only you knew about them.

Here is a list of recent updates and features on your favorite social marketing platforms, and how they will impact you and your business:

Instagram Update

Account Switching: Do you have more than one Instagram account? Now you can quickly and easily switch between multiple accounts, without having to logout and back in again each time.

Go to your profile settings:

Scroll down and click on Add Account:

Once your new accounts are added, you can easily switch between them from your profile page.

Imagine how much time you’ll now save switching between accounts.

Facebook Update

Livestreaming! On the heels of the increasing popularity of livestreaming apps, Facebook has now given Facebook Live access to everyone. This feature was first available only to verified celebrity fan pages, and then rolled out to all personal profiles and business pages. Now we can all stream from our fan page or personal profile.

Although you can view a live or recorded video from a desktop or phone, you can only stream from a smartphone. Log into your page, click to Publish an update, and then choose the live video button.

To learn more about how livestreaming can improve your brand visibility and grow your business (and discover a few simple tips for getting started), read our Livestreaming Newbie Tips and Tricks.

Twitter Update

Algorithmic timelines? This one seemed to sneak in under the radar, and most Twitter users don’t even know about this update. Until just recently, Twitter has always shown tweets chronologically, with the most recent posts showing up at the top of your home page. But now Twitter has switched to an algorithmic timeline, which means that tweets you are “likely to care about most” will show up first in your timeline. Twitter says they choose these tweets based on: accounts you interact with most, Tweets you engage with, and “much more.”  In other words, the secret algorithm is vague.

The challenge is: this new algorithmic timeline is now the default (and you probably didn’t even know your Twitter timeline was changed!).  But you can choose to go back to the Twitter you’ve grown to love.

Go to your settings, and scroll down to Content.  Look for Timeline, and unclick “Show me the best Tweets first.” Save your settings, and you’re back to the chronological timeline.

Or keep the new default! Perhaps you’ll prefer to see what Twitter considers a “greatest hits compilation” over tweets that just happened to be posted in the last few seconds.  Only time will tell.

Staying on top of these trends is an important part of your overall social media and marketing strategies.  To be sure you are always in the loop, follow my consistently updated newsfeed on Twitter.