Got a minute? Check out our quick update on what is happening in the industry!

Facebook
Over the last few weeks, Facebook has been rolling out some design updates, namely the shape of Page profile pictures. Instead of the traditional square frame, profile pictures have changed to a circular shape, similar to Instagram profile pictures. Facebook says they have been testing this minor tweak for several weeks and saw encouraging results and feedback. The shape change only applies to the profile picture when it appears in the News Feed and on your Page timeline. The larger profile picture on a Page's cover area will remain square.

Our Take:

• This is yet another way that Facebook and Instagram are aligning their looks. It makes sense since they are now one company.
• While this design change certainly doesn't affect the usability of the platform, it does help the platform maintain a fresh look.
• We recommend paying close attention to your profile picture as this change rolls out, as the shape change could crop your photo or logo in a weird way. Some reformatting may be necessary.

Instagram
Instagram Stories is coming to the web. Instagram Stories, the feature that lets you share photos and videos with face filters, stickers, etc., was launched as a way to compete with Snapchat, and it worked. Over 250 million people use Instagram Stories every day while Snapchat's user base is around 170 million. Just like on mobile, Stories will appear at the top of the page when viewed on the web. Instagram says they will roll out the capability to post to Instagram Stories from the web over the next few months.

Our Take:

• Even though Instagram is a mobile-first platform, the move to web will give more people access to the feature.
• With a growing user base, Instagram Stories can be effective for businesses who want to market to consumers on the platform. In fact, research shows that one in five Instagram Stories posted by a business receives a Direct Message reply. Allowing more people access to Stories means a broader audience for businesses and advertisers.

LinkedIn
New research insights were released recently about what type of content performs best on LinkedIn. If you're guessing visual, you'd be wrong. While visual is king on several other social media platforms, the research found that it's long-form content that performs the best on LinkedIn. According to the study, articles posted with 1,000 to 3,000 words (blog post length) received the most shares on the platform.

Our Take:

• This news reinforces LinkedIn's status as a business networking site that lends itself to more serious content than other social media platforms.
• If your goal is to create a stronger presence on LinkedIn, we recommend examining your content marketing strategy and adding blogging to the mix.