Regardless of if the groundhog sees his shadow or not, we’ve got enough content news and information to keep you actively engaged for the rest of the winter —and beyond. Take a look at this week’s Content Radar for more information about short-form videos, Instagram updates, and an increased focus on personalization.
Three reasons to be optimistic about Facebook’s news feed changes
The doom and gloom that has surrounded the announcement of Facebook’s impending news feed algorithm change has been ubiquitous, but a closer look at the upcoming changes shows that perhaps it won’t be as bad as some believe. In fact, the immediate future of Facebook publishing might be more advantageous for brands than they know.
Here are three reasons why:
(1) Organizations will finally realize the importance of Facebook ad spend
For months, organic reach has decreased for many brands on Facebook. Yet, for many groups, the gradual decrease in engagement didn’t cause major alarm. Now that the time has come for brands to take a hard look at their Facebook publishing strategies, it will be easier than ever for content marketers to make the case for having an increased budget for Facebook ad spend.
A recent DigiDay survey concluded that nearly four out of every five brands are planning to increase ad spend on Facebook this year. The survey also reports that Facebook is the only social channel on which the majority of marketers plan to increase ad spend in 2018. If you’ve been looking for an increased ad budget for Facebook, now might be the time to ask.
(2) Publishers will revisit other platforms and marketing methods
Has Facebook made content markers’ jobs too easy? Perhaps. Rather than create robust marketing plans, it has been too easy for marketers to simply slap something on Facebook, get a few likes and clicks, then call it a day. For some, the deliberate effort has lacked critical thinking.
Now, however, as marketers are seeing that Facebook will require more engaging content — and likely more ad spend to reach audiences — they are forced to reignite their creativity and evaluate which channels are the most effective for the content they want to deliver to users.
In a recent article, Tim Peterson, social media reporter for Third Door Media, wrote about how publishers now have the opportunity to begin to reemphasize search and SEO tactics that lead users to brand-owned web pages.
(3) Following good practices will be rewarded
When you take a closer look at the announcement of the news feed changes that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg published on his Facebook page, you may notice something that many others overlooked in their rush to overreact. Here is what he said:
“You’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see . . . should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”
So, if you have a Facebook page that has already been following best practices in facilitating meaningful conversations, you should expect that your content will reach users.
Marketing strategist Mark Schaefer believes the news feed changes shouldn’t significantly affect brands that are already following best engagement practices.
“Why is everybody in a panic?” Schaefer asked in a recent blog post. “Zuckerberg is only reinforcing what we have already known for years. If you do a good job with engaging content, you’ll be in the news feed.”
Marketers are aiming to make things more personal in 2018. A recent study shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that personalize content and experiences.
A six-second fairy tale challenge is opening up new options for short-form storytelling through video. Ad agencies retold stories of Rapunzel, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and more for the YouTube-sponsored event at Sundance 2018.
Google has expanded its “Mute This Ad” tool. The program, first introduced in 2012, now allows users to mute ads across devices as well as inside of apps and websites.
Users can now add GIFs to Instagram Stories. Instagram provides a selection of more than 100,000 images thanks to tie-in with GIPHY’s image database. Users also can see which GIFs are most popular across the app.
Catch up on previous weeks’ buzz:
- Jan. 24, 2018 – What Will Instagram’s Encore Be in 2018?
- Jan. 17, 2018 – What Social Media’s Big “f” Bomb Means for Brands
- Jan. 10, 2018 – Shhh… Twitter Is Undergoing a Renaissance
