Trying to keep up with all the latest marketing news is like trying to count all the Halloween candy you’re going to be getting tonight (how old is too old to go trick or treating?). There’s too much of it and some of it sucks. And by the time you count it, you’ve probably eaten some. Oh, and your annoying friend has dropped in a few of those candies in the nondescript orange and black wrappers, totally throwing off your count.

Yeah, keeping up with marketing content is totally just like that. There’s a ton of it, and it’s hard to keep up.

The Science of Social Media is doing their part to catch some of the stuff we’ve all missed. This episode sums up 5 social media studies that have flown under the radar for the past few months.

Take it away, Buffer…

• (0:58) Facebook is two times more popular than the next most popular social network. And 79% of US adults use Facebook regularly.
• (6:17) 62% of US adults primarily get news on social media.
• (7:51) That means that sharing news relevant to your audience is a great way to build relationships with your audience.
• (8:14) Social media is proven to increase consumer loyalty, brand perception, and word of mouth.
• (8:51) If you can humanize your brand on social media, you’re much more likely to be able to increase consumer loyalty.
• (10:12) Gamification increases interaction on social media.
• (11:04) Simple “challenge” posts like “spot the difference in these two images” are a simple, but fun, tactic to increase engagement.
• (11:53) Posts designed to pique curiosity work really well when there isn’t a link (just use text, a video, or an image).
• (12:45) Fantasy posts like “what would you do with a $7,500 shopping spree?” are always great for engagement and discussion.

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Facebook updates at such a whiplashing speed that some features fly by without notice. Not to mention that there’s so much happening on the platform (we’re lookin’ at you, “Explore Feed”), it’s hard to even find—or know—what you’re looking for.

Today’s Read highlights just 12 of these slippery features, revealing where they hide and why you should utilize them. Plus, detailed steps on how to use them so you can engage more fans and beat your competition to the punch.  

Here’s a couple to get you started: 

1. Set a new target audience for each post. On most branded Facebook pages, not all the posts are relevant to the same audience. If your Facebook post is relevant to people seeing it in their newsfeed, it will have a higher Relevance Score, and your post could have a higher organic reach.
2. Invite people that liked your Facebook post or ad to Like your page in a single click.  
3. Level up your social media presence with a cover video or gif instead of a photo. Dang, we should do that…
4. Use the Pages to Watch tool to review all the posts published by your competitors or favorite brands in a single feed.
5. You can now see the charts with your Facebook page’s engagement levels and see when your audience is most active.
6. Facebook Ads Manager has some built-in A/B testing features that you can use to set up simple split tests.

Burger King ads have been k i l l i n g it this Halloween season. From their first ad clowning the McDonald’s clown to handing out free Whoppers to people dressed as clowns.

Today’s Watch is less diss and more gimmick, though. Coined the “Zombie Burger,” this ad encourages BK diners to bring in old Whopper receipts on Halloween to get a free Whopper. A total (and welcomed) departure from this disastrous zombie burger of 2016. Yeah, we’re good on that…

The ad is set to the scene of any good zombie flick—a graveyard. And ends with the tagline, “Bring your Whopper back to life.”

Our only question: who the heck saves their receipts from a fast-food chain?