3 Ways Businesses Should Capitalize on Facebook's Latest Redesign
Earlier this month, we published an article that highlighted the Facebook News Feed changes Mark Zuckerberg announced on March 7. The amendments are almost exclusively on the aesthetic front, as Zuckerberg based them on the fact that almost 50% of the content in today's News Feed is visual -- made up primarily of photos and videos. The changes are the most profound in the company's nearly eight-year history. In this follow-up article to "8 Beautiful Facebook Changes That Will Change Everything," we'll discuss the most important adjustments business marketers can make to their Facebook content in order to capitalize on the new look and feel of the world's #1 social network:
1) Create more visually-oriented posts.
When Facebook introduced timeline for brands, photo and video engagement rose an astonishing 65% in the very first month. With FB's latest update, visual content will be more striking and pronounced than ever before. With such an incredible push to display beautiful photos and videos, you can expect users' engagement with visual content to increase far beyond what it is now. This means more Likes, more comments, more exposure. To capitalize on this, business owners and marketers should consider converting their text-based statuses and posts into ones that are more visually driven. For example, instead of simply writing out an influential quote for your potential and current customers to read, try putting a high-quality, pertinent image behind the text. This method will make the most of the exposure FB's new design gives to photographs and will deliver your textual message in optimal form.
2) Write shorter, more concise copy.
Since the new News Feed places a large amount of emphasis on photos, Facebook has also altered how captions will be displayed from now on. In the previous version, the captions appeared below the pictures. As of now, they will display directly on top of the pictures -- giving the entire post a more natural, integrated and holistic feel. In response to this, business marketers should strive to make the copy that goes along with their posts as concise as possible, delivering a quick message that will inspire customers to take action while not taking away from the impact of the picture.
3) Implement contests to collect more LIKES for your business page.
For businesses, accumulating Likes has always been a fundamentally important part of finding success on Facebook. With the new News Feed in place, however, being Liked by someone is more impactful than ever. Now, each time your business receives a Like, your cover photo will be immediately broadcast to the friends of that Facebook user. Also, a new story will be created in the News Feed that displays the default of your page.
To make the most of this new development, it's more important than ever to create an influential cover photo -- one that brands your business while also relaying key information such as your tag line, your company's contact information, references to your major affiliates and other info that will establish your credibility right off the bat. A great way to grow your Likes is through incentivized contests. Spectrum, for instance, has developed and will soon launch a Photo Competition app that will help our clients attract new followers while taking advantage of the truly tremendous new visual platform that is the future of Facebook.
If you're a current marketing client and would like to find out more about Spectrum's latest Facebook innovations, email or call your SEO for a breakdown and more information. Not a client? No problem. Schedule an appointment with us here.
Are you happy with the changes Facebook has made to the News Feed? How will your company adjust? Leave your questions and comments below!