Facebook updates never seem to end.
We all cry and moan every time they make changes, but then settle into what’s new like a kid at Christmas.
Fair warning: Facebook is at it again.
This time they are messing with the news feed.
At a big media event earlier this month they launched content-specific feeds for photos, music, and more.
According to TechCrunch, the new feeds are sorted by how often you check them, so it’s easy to sort and see your most visited feeds.
They include:
- All friends shows only posts from your friends in reverse chronological order.
- Music shows what friends are listening to, new album releases, and recommendations of artists you might like.
- Just photos, including those updated straight to Facebook and photos shared from photo apps such as Instagram.
- Games.
- Close friends.
- Interests or friend lists.
Some other news feed changes:
- The size of photos and ads will be increased.
- Check-ins to places have a larger map to show people exactly where you are.
- Pinterest posts are more vivid.
- Videos appear larger.
- If multiple friends share the same posts, you’ll see their faces to the left of it.
- Links shared will have longer blurbs to preview.
They started to roll out the changes on March 7th so when they come to a page near you, you’ll see a button to switch at the top of your page.
What Do Facebook Updates Mean for Business Pages?
- Larger photos and videos in news feeds keeps with the PR and marketing industry’s focus on visuals when driving audience engagement. Now that cover photos will be pulled into the news feed, it’s even more important brands have an eye-catching image that provides context around their brand and grabs the attention of Facebook users.
- There is more consistency between mobile and desktop experiences. Videos, interactive games, contests, and apps already occupy much of mobile users’ time and they will be more important to brands who want to stand out.
- Mobile and desktop consistency also makes Facebook ads more prominent so if you choose to invest money to market on Facebook, the new news feed should help you get a bigger return.
- Fan engagement is even more important! The” following” feed allows users who like a brand to see posts by that brand’s fans, even if those fans aren’t friends of yours.
- One thing I’ve enjoyed about Twitter is the ability to categorize different feeds. Facebook attempted to do this with their lists, but it never really took, for me at least. With the new Facebook update, users can separate their updates into music news, pictures from top friends, and news from brands they follow.
- You can finally inclue calls-to-action in your cover photo. This means you can legally (some companies were doing it illegally before) offer discounts, promote paid content, or just better track conversions.
This is a double-edged sword for brands because it makes it easy for users to tune out their content. However, it can also lead people to pay more attention to the brands they choose to follow, which, in a perfect world, will mean more engagement.