This week’s ‘Skim: How brands can switch up their social strategy in the wake of Facebook’s big algorithm change; WhatsApp officially launches its business-friendly app in six markets; just how angry Snapchat users are about the app’s redesign; Facebook’s plans to become more local, and to declutter Messenger in 2018; why micro-influencers could be a goldmine for your business; Facebook introduces interactive Watch Parties; top marketing tips for livestream videos; and much more…
1. Here’s how marketers can adjust their Facebook strategy in wake of the algorithm shakeup
Last week Facebook announced its most disruptive algorithm change in years, deciding it would send less traffic to publishers’ content and instead prioritize content that users’ friends and family engages with. For brand pages and publishers, that likely means plummeting organic reach numbers, and probably higher advertising costs.
So how can you prepare for the inevitable shift?
If you want to maintain your reach, the change probably means spending more money on ads, which isn’t a surprise, considering that Facebook’s ad rates have climbed 35% in just the last quarter.
It also means training your digital team to not only execute campaigns and push buttons as before but also constantly optimize and deliver quality content, especially as Facebook continues its witch hunt for “engagement bait”.
A bright side to all this? Facebook will likely find new ways for brands to engage with users, just not in the News Feed. It might pull a WeChat and give brands new access to Messenger, all while holding fast to its insistence that Facebook isn’t a media company. Prepare yourselves for the apocalypse.
Marketers in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the UK, and the US were last week treated to an official release of the WhatsApp Business App, before the Facebook owned platform makes itself available worldwide.
The free app is currently Android-only, but it will serve as WhatsApp’s path to new revenue streams when it starts charging large businesses for advanced ways to reach consumers.
For now, though, the app is positioned as a free way for small brands to build an official presence on the platform and take advantage of new tools, such as quick replies, greeting messages, away messages, and more.
It didn’t take long after Snap Inc. rolled out a redesigned Snapchat for users to bash it en masse.
In fact, 83% of user reviews on the App Store are negative, with many active Snapchatters complaining that the app no longer makes sense as their feeds no longer present snaps in chronological order.
Probably an a gesture to prove the app’s attractiveness to investors on Wall Street, Snapchat also decided to mix a higher number of advertisements into users’ feeds with the facelift. The social network anticipated the redesign would be disruptive to the business, but it’s confident that the changes will “settle in” and business will carry on as usual… eventually.
4. Facebook aims to be more local with news section aimed at communities
The social network is hoping to make your community a little more accessible with the test of a new section that brings city-specific events, local news, and announcements to users.
Dubbed “Today In,” the machine-learning tool will help a Facebook team deliver local content to six American cities—New Orleans, Little Rock, Billings,…
