This Week in Social (Week of May 11)
This Week in Social is a weekly digest of some of the biggest stories in social media marketing news. These stories are the show notes for the Brave Ad World Podcast. Each story is discussed at a deeper level on the podcast.
Facebook Testing Its Own Search Engine (Read more at WIRED)
Facebook is in the process of testing what would essentially be its own search engine. The feature, called “Add A Link” would allow users to perform a quick search related to a status update. Facebook then presents them with a series of links they can add, and users can tap to preview the content. Once a user finds the story, they can add the link to their text update.
This is different than how it currently works. Essentially, users need to go to a search engine like Google, search for the article, copy it and then go back to Facebook to paste it in. This would cut that third-party search engine out of the equation and keep users on Facebook.
Facebook is very smart with this feature. It solves a user need and keeps people on its platform, instead of requiring them to switch back-and-forth, which can get cumbersome, especially on mobile. It will be interesting to see how Google responds because this has the potential to affect it negatively by cutting back on its ability to generate revenue from search and increase the opportunities for Facebook generate advertising revenue of its own.
The feature is still just in testing, but it could have big implications if launched.
Verizon Buys AOL (Read more at Bloomberg)
Verizon will be acquiring AOL for $4.4 billion. The acquisition will bring multiple digital properties, including Huffington Post, TechCrunch, multiple video production services and other content services to Verizon.
The acquisition comes about a year after AOL’s launch of One, a programmatic advertising initiative. This acquisition would allow Verizon to pair its own mobile data with AOL’s powerful advertising technology.
This would put it in direct competition with Google and Facebook, which are working to improve their own ad tech offerings even more. The deal still requires regulatory approval.
This acquisition, assuming it is approved, could be very powerful and push mobile advertising even further. It adds more competition to the market and puts a mobile carrier, which has more mobile user data than just about anybody at the center.
Instant Articles Launch on Facebook (Read more at The Next Web)
Instant Articles have officially come to Facebook. Instant Articles are news articles hosted and displayed natively inside Facebook. The articles are currently only available within the iOS version of Facebook’s app.
The New York Times, National Geographic, BuzzFeed, NBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC News, Spiegel and Bild are part of the launch.
The feature improves load speeds of article content and creates more advertising opportunities within Facebook for publishers. Instant Articles allow for a single 300 x 250 banner unit that can be sold by Facebook in which it splits revenue with publishers or sold by publishers themselves. In that case, they keep all revenue. For its part, Facebook keeps more users on its platform.
Facebook has said that Instant Articles will not be prioritized by Facebook’s News Feed algorithm.
This is a significant move by both Facebook and publishers. Few other platforms could command this kind of dedicated effort from publishers, but Facebook is where a lot of eyeballs are. Publishers are hard pressed to ignore it.
While some have argued that this gives Facebook too much power, it’s probably only a matter of time before other publishers start creating Instant Articles as well.
Snapchat Launches 10-Second Ads (Read more at Business Insider)
Snapchat has introduced 10-second ads. The ads run between articles and videos on Snapchat Discover, and they cost advertisers two cents per view.
Snapchat is going down a road many social platforms have had to and that’s monetizing its user base. It’s approach, similar to others, is advertising.
Now, there’s a good chance Snapchat’s user base will be averse to this advertising, but it’s smart to see Snapchat rolling this out on its Discover platform where publishers are creating exclusive content users can opt to watch, instead of putting ads between them and what their friends are sharing. At the end of the day, Snapchat has an attractive user base and anything brands can do to get in front of the young Snapchat audience is going to be attractive on at least some level.
News Quick Hits
- Facebook is testing a feature that would allow users to search and view items for sale across multiple public groups a user belongs to. (Read more at The Next Web)
- Facebook is going to allow mobile app developers to advertise their products using a carousel ad format on mobile. The ads will allow developers to showcase up to five images and links to drive users to download. (Read more at AdAge)
- Reddit is launching its own video series, which will focus on the “Ask Me Anything” threads. (Read more at SocialTimes)
- Facebook local awareness ads now have a ‘Call Now’ button that allows users to automatically dial an advertiser’s number to, for example, schedule an appointment. (Read more at SocialTimes)
- Periscope accounts can now be set up without requiring a Twitter account. Periscope also now allows users to change their profile pictures. It also improved the process of replying to chat messages while broadcasting. (Read more at The Next Web)
- Twitter is in the process of testing a link for users to “view more videos” to encourage them to spend more time viewing videos on the platform. It’s a move that’s been a success for YouTube. The link appears beneath a video as it plays and includes multiple videos from different accounts. (Read more at AdAge)