This Week in Social (Week of June 29)
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 Updates Algorithm to Decide which Videos to Show Users (Read more at Digiday)
Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm is always a work in progress, but the latest change has to do with video. Facebook will be watching how users interact with video content more closely to determine which videos to display in user News Feeds. Among the factors are whether or not a user unmated the video or if the user expanded the video to watch in fullscreen.
Facebook has made several updates as of late in an attempt to surface more relevant content in News Feeds. For example, it is now looking at how much time a user spent reading an article to evaluate engagement levels. This means Facebook is making likes, comments and shares less prominent, which should be a signal to marketers to create content people want to spend time with, not just content that will garner likes, comments and shares.
Facebook Adds Snapchat-Inspired Features (Read more at The Verge)
Facebook’s never been afraid to copy-and-paste features from other platforms, and this time the inspiration comes from Snapchat, which Facebook attempted to acquire in 2013. Now, it’s bringing one of Snapchat’s most notable features to the Facebook app. Users will now be able to add text, filters and stickers to photos they share with Facebook friends.
Facebook isn’t shy when it comes to applying what other platforms are doing to its platform. It’s a strategy that’s worked for them, and Snapchat is no exception. Facebook’s approach is to be the best at doing everything, not being the best at any one thing. You can go to Facebook and get the features you want, even though those features may exist in a more cohesive package elsewhere.
Facebook to Share Ad Revenue with Video Creators (Read more at Fast Company)
Watch out, YouTube. Facebook wants more of your piece of the pie.
It’s now int he process of testing a video ad revenue sharing program with content creators. Much like YouTube, Facebook is preparing the launch of inline autoplay ads that will appear between suggested videos. When a user watches a video, Facebook will suggest related videos. Those videos will include the ads, so Facebook, for now at least, will not be placing ads in front of the videos users have chosen to watch.
Facebook will split revenue from those ads with content creators. They get 55%. Facebook gets 45%. Those are the terms YouTube offers as well. Fox Sports, Funny or Die, Tastemade, Hearst and the NBA are already partners.
Facebook has made incredible strides when it comes to video in less than a year, and it’s clearly out for it all. Now, it’s going directly after content creators, people YouTube has been courting for some time, by providing them a dollars and cents reason to publish to Facebook.
It’s actually pretty easy to predict how these will fare. They’ll likely be very lucrative for Facebook, and advertisers will see the benefits as well. Facebook has proven to naysayers time and time again that it can do video. Now, some users will be upset to see more ads, but that probably won’t hold Facebook back.
News Quick Hits
- Facebook Page admins will notice a new update in page insights. There is now a videos tab that displays information on views, top videos in a date range and metrics for videos shared from other pages. This information is organized in aggregate. Previously, it was limited to a per-video basis. The update should make gathering performance-based video insights easier as Facebook continues to emphasize video on its platform. (Read more at Facebook Media)
- Facebook autoplay video ads have come into question for charging advertisers when they show up on a user’s screen even though users may not actually watch them. Now, Facebook is testing an option for advertisers to pay only for the ads that have played for 10 seconds on a cost-per-view basis. Ads that just display on a user’s screen will be charged on a cost-per-thousand basis. (Read more at AdAge)
- Pinterest’s buyable pins are now available on iOS platforms. The pins allow users to buy goods directly from pins. The buyable pins are designated with a blue price tag. Users need to provide their payment information to Pinterest. After that, purchases can be made. The buyable pins will be coming to Android as well. (Read more at ZDNet)
- All United States users of Facebook Messenger can now send payments to each other through the platform. Previously, the feature was limited to users in New York. (Read more at SocialTimes)
- Snapchat has released its latest update. It no longer requires users to hold their fingers on the screen to watch or view a snap. Instead they simply tap the snap, and it begins playing. Users can drag their finger down on the screen to close an open snap. Users can also now add friends who are near their location with an “Add Nearby” option in the Add Friends menu. Snapchat is also allowing users to add friends using Snapchat QR codes. Once a user adds a QR code to his or her camera roll via a screenshot, for example. They can open Snapchat and choose to add a friend by Snapcode. (Read more at The Verge)