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#1 InstagramZoom

Leading off the pack is a small user experience update to Instagram that might be the most fun of all. Yes, you can now pinch to zoom in on your favorite Instagram pics!

Simple, but really useful. (Give it a try!) Well done, Insta.

In case you missed it, Instagram Stories was also introduced in August...

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Despite widespread accusations of copying Snapchat (including Instagram’s CEO basically confirming it) the feature offers a great way for brands who are already active on the platform to post more frequent content without the need for polished graphics and photos.

#2: LinkedIn Videos

There may soon be a lot more movement in your LinkedIn feed! In an effort to boost engagement with - and access to - their intensely-curated list of approved Influencers, the platform announced in late August that a small group of those influencers will now have the ability to share 30-second videos directly to the Newsfeed. For now, most of us can only watch and comment on the videos, but it sounds like this feature will roll out to more people as time goes on.

#3 Snapchat Memories

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In July, Snapchat announced a huge update called “Memories” that allows you to save your pics to the cloud for later viewing. This is likely a move to help make Snapchat an even bigger part of your daily life. Snapchat wants users to favor its app over the native Camera app, and this is a step in that direction.

There’s one key function in this Memories feature that you may have missed from this update: Instead of being required to take a “new” photo in order to post to your Story, you can now upload photos to your Snapchat story from your camera roll (it will appear with a frame around it so that everyone knows it’s from the past).

As a counterpoint to the Instagram Stories update, this Snapchat function could make it way easier for brands to distribute polished graphic content on Shapchat.

#4 Pinterest Ads Are Getting Easier to Handle

You may have taken a look at targeted ads on Pinterest when advertising first became widely available in late 2014. And you may have decided to wait for it to be a little more tested and fleshed out before committing your dollars to it. Well, now might be a good time to take another look.

The platform now boasts a bulk editor, expanded objectives like awareness and conversion, and, as of this summer, new targeting tools that let you target customer lists, website visitors and lookalike audiences.

#5: Co-hosting on Facebook Live

Recently, Facebook announced a new feature that will allow for two-person broadcasts on Facebook Live. For now, this is only available via the Mentions app to public figures with verified Pages or profiles, so unless you’re doing business with The Rock, you’ll have to wait to put this into effect.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this Facebook Live update to see what opportunities it may offer for our influencer marketing efforts...Stay tuned!