Facebook has gone and done it again! They’ve made some changes that will affect brand pages by March 30th. I’ve taken a little time (an hour or so) to try and digest some of the changes and interpret them through the Community Engagement lens.
First, a list of the changes (not necessarily complete, we’re still getting info):
- Ability to highlight three tabs across the top (look like boxes now with an image, etc.)
- No more default landing tab, meaning that all pre-Like traffic will land on the wall
- It looks like tabs apps will be wider (810px)
- Awesome new Wall Posts from Fans feature: Setting for: “Check this box if you don’t want posts by others to be publicly visible on your Page until you “Allow on Timeline…”
- Another new setting for: “Show the box for “Recent Posts by Others” on the top of Page Name”
- New “Admin Panel” organizes Notifications, New Likes, Insights, and Messages (like an inbox for admins).
- …There is a setting for “Show Message Button on Page” – puts a big Message button at top of page, appears to allow private communication between Fans & admins.
- Facebook apps need only ask permission once to share stories on your behalf.
- You don’t have to just Like something — now you can [verb] any [noun]. Facebook Gestures has launched
- Smaller profile picture
- Friend Activity
- Milestones
- Admin Panel
- Pinned/Highlighted posts on Timeline
- Reach Generator — make sure your fans see your stories (75% of your fans on a monthly basis which will increase engagement) (Dr. Pepper = 140% increase in PTAT)
- Facebook Ads (sponsored Stories) will be eligible to be distributed in the News Feed (includes mobile)
After reading through the changes taking place as Facebook rolls out new Facebook Pages for brands, my immediate reaction is: How does this affect Community Engagement? Will this affect the types of posts we should be publishing? How will this change the content? How will we enhance engagement through this new method of storytelling? While it may take a little time to digest, here are my initial thoughts:
- Timeline is like a scrapbook — it gives brands an opportunity to tell more engaging stories on Facebook than they can now. Fans can go back in time and see the whole picture, not just the post in front of them. The further back in Timeline you go, the more Facebook will compress the information so that you’re only seeing the most interesting parts of your history. You can customize this by clicking on a star next to a status, say, or enlarging a picture.
- Brands are in more control of their content. They can go back and choose the posts that stay on the page. They can revise the story they’re telling, from beginning to end.
- The ability for Fans to go back and read a whole picture, we have to be more engaging. I think posts will receive more impressions as users explore the pages.
- Reach and opportunity for engagement is growing. “We’ll see the chasm grown between the highly engaging and less engaging brands”
- Less shouting and more engaging. How do we best connect with our customers? No talking AT fans, talking WITH them. We can tell our story, and our fans can tell little stories on top of ours.
- Have to de-silo — we’re talking about a whole story here, not one campaign, not one initiative, everything has to feed into the larger picture of what this brand represents. Take a holistic approach.
- Pinning and Highlighting posts (new functionality with Timeline) will allow brands to control the content users see when they first arrive to the page. In my opinion, this is better than default landing tabs.
- The ability to message fans directly from the brand will help dramatically with customer service issues and taking certain conversations “offline”
I’m super excited about these changes and the opportunities it presents for brands. With these changes, there’s a huge need to provide stimulating, engaging content — that’s the fun stuff!
Lastly, here’s my favorite article written about the changes.
What do you think? Are you excited for these changes?
Love this post! I moved to SF last year and am starting in the social media/startup world so this was an awesome read. Just sent you an email too to see if you want to chat more about it. Thanks, Lauren! 🙂
Of course! So glad you enjoyed the read. Looking forward to meeting you on Thursday!