07 Apr Why Facebook Still Matters In 2016
They haven’t gone away you know. Facebook marketing is much more than generating Page Likes. Take a look at why Facebook will still be swinging harder than ever before in 2016.
Facebook Video Is Animalistic:
Facebook is determined to lead the race in converting your mobile phone into a mini-TV set in your pocket. Facebook video views have already crushed YouTube and broken past the 8 billion views per-day barrier through its clever use of auto-play and video metrics.
Due to the sound-off auto-play feature on Facebook videos, they are now adding Video Captions to help bait viewers to consume more video content. This feature enables you to add text to your video therefore should the consumer choose to leave the video muted they can still understand the message you are driving through the captions addition. Facebook has already cited a 12% increase in views due to the weight of this feature.
Also on the nearing road ahead, they are also adding features such as Facebook Live – their version of Periscope to the market – and 360-degree videos to their platform – an amazing tool that allows you to explore videos from all angles with the drag of a mouse.
Facebook not only mean business in the video market, they are the business in the video market. Such is their success here that they are putting in place plans to start giving a share of the revenue generated from Facebook videos to the content owners – a move that will surely see their dominance erupt even further.
William Tell Styled Targeting:
Facebook’s Audience Optimisation will allow your brand to specify who should and who should not see your posts. This helps Facebook’s algorithms determine the correct audience to target your post with – the outcome being that rather than a random 5% audience of your followers finding your content in their news feed it will be a targeted 5% audience of your followers. While this feature doesn’t directly increase organic reach it has significantly proven to lift engagement which then has the domino side-effect of increasing reach organically.
Up, Down, and Around Shareable Content:
Facebook’s Carousal feature allows you to design a post that combines up to five images or videos, each with its own separate headline and call-to-action, and direct traffic to multiple links such as your brand’s website. This feature can drive organic reach through its use of shareable imagery and can then be converted into an advert by simply boosting the post and increasing its engagement factor.
Facebook is also rolling out Canvas – a feature that will bring adverts to life for mobile users; where over 90% of Facebook users operate from. Through the Canvas tool, ads found in someone’s newsfeeds will convert into full screen size on a mobile phone with one simple tap of a finger by the consumer.
74% of Facebook revenue comes through mobile advertising so they will continue to tweak and improve this sector of their service. Watch this space!
Instant Articles to Combat Mother Time:
Another key addition to Facebook’s 2016 plans is the roll out of Instant Articles. This feature will enable articles to upload ten times faster on a consumer’s screen once tapped. This is to increase the speed and interactivity of content with its audience and erase deterrents of full follow through caused by a slow loading bar.
As well as increasing the efficiency of the loading time, Instant Articles also auto-plays video in articles, makes zooming on images easier and quicker, animates maps, and has audio playback the written word while consumers concentrate on exploring the article’s other features.
Rapid Response Repairs:
Last but not least Facebook now has the Messenger app kitted out for business pages. This will allow for improved customer care, lead generation, and sales – all essentials in the fast paced environment of mobile marketing that Facebook’s latest features are geared at developing and delivering for your brand.