Today’s post is about the “NEW” Facebook News feed and is brought to you by an excellent writer Kapil Jekishan, this is the first time Kapil has written for my website, and I am looking forward to bringing you more posts from Kapil in the future.
Facebook made an announcement last week that they would release a revamped Facebook News Feed which has altered the way users view shared content. It seems as if Facebook has transformed itself to adopt the same look as the popular Flipboard app. When CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this change, he referred the updated facebook news feed as a ‘personalised newspaper’ with the intent of making the new layout more inviting to users.
What is this ‘newspaper’ approach?
Well if you pick up any newspaper (yes, they do still exist), you’ll notice that it is laid out in sections where the most important news is on the front page, but there are also sections such as sports, politics and entertainment. This is what Facebook is trying to achieve with it’s news feed.
The current Facebook News Feed shows a mash-up of posts from your friends next to any pages you have liked. These posts can include photos, videos, check-ins which are determined by an algorithm. Facebook’s new approach will allow users to segregate the types of content they wish to view so they can choose whether to view photos or updated from businesses i.e. pages they have liked.
What Does The New Facebook News Feed Mean To Your Business?
Research by Facebook has shown that an average user will visit the site for at least 22 minutes a day, however, the goal with this new facebook news feed is to keep them on the site longer which means there is an opportunity for your business to connect with this population.
Mr Zuckerberg was also quick to acknowledge that half of the content on the Facebook News Feed is generally comprised of photos and videos, so business owners should really be trying to use high quality photos and videos to engage this audience.
Given Facebook has had significant success on the mobile front with advertising than the traditional desktop version, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the new layout will be bringing a number of key elements from the mobile version over to the desktop browser. The consistent look across the two Facebook platforms will have a positive impact to Facebook ads so if you’re deciding to set aside a budget for your Facebook marketing, I believe the new look will provide you with a better return on investment.
Make Sure Your Business Avoids The Classifieds Section
Within the News Feed, there will also be a section for pages which users have already liked – somewhat like the classifieds section of a newspaper.
Suffice to say, those who have liked your Business Facebook Page will have the least bit of interest in checking out what you’re offering. Most users go on Facebook to be social and interact with friends and family, read interesting content and be entertained. If you’re thinking they go on Facebook and go ‘hmm I wonder what that company has posted today’, let me tell you, this wont be the case (it probably won’t even make the top 2 or 3 must do items to check on either).
As a business, you shouldn’t wait for Facebook users to locate you in the equivalent of the classifieds. If you want to make a name for yourself, you should take your business to them. If you’re wondering how to do that, well it’s simple – if 50% of Facebook users are focussed on photos and videos, well then you need to use lots of photos and videos to display your business and pop up in the various sections of the News Feed, especially photos which I believe will consist of the most traffic.
Include Detailed Content
While photos and videos are important to focus on, you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that shared articles in the News Feed will also feature more content to provide a robust News Feed with solid details and information. I have listed a few pointers you should check before promoting your business page.
- When a fan checks into your business on Facebook, their friends and relatives will naturally see the update and where your business is. In the new look feed, there will be a larger, more detailed map so it’s important to ensure your physical address is on your business page.
- In addition to the above, you should make it a point to complete all the necessary fields within your business page so that potential customers can locate your business when using the Facebook Graph Search. Information such your business hours, ‘About’ section, choosing your categories are all critical so that customers who click on your business page from a shared article, a check-in at your location and even a Facebook Graph Search can easily determine what your business is all about.
- When sharing a blog post or link from your website on Facebook, a lot more of your article description will feed in the news feed (as well as the larger image). If you want more eyeballs on your article, please ensure that your meta description for the blog post is detailed and inviting for your fans to click on and even share on their timeline.
These are just a few points to consider with the new changes to the Facebook News Feed. Do you have any more tips on how to best prepare for the update? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
About
Kapil Jekishan loves to discuss technology, social media and blogging but most of all he loves to help others looking to improve their online presence. Why not check out his online portal, which has recently been rejuvenated at www.latestcrunchs.com
Nice post Kapil,
Really interesting – when I was reading this I was thinking that the main reason for this was to sort of integrate more with the tablet market. The whole “newspaper” thing just seemed to work. I think it will be great – I imagine there will be companies paying huge sums of money for advertising on this platform, especially in the front pages…..
Facebook like to change and evolve their platforms quite a bit – some people get annoyed with this but I don’t. I like it that they try new things and develop their system a lot.
I know you Clair are a huge fan on social media – what is your take on the new feed?
Thanks for a great insight, excellent tips.
John
John Banks recently posted…How To Go Viral
Hi John,
I agree i think it will work exceptionally well for the tablet devices!
From what I have seen it looks good, will take some getting used to in cosmetics, like Timeline did, but i think it will be great!
I’m on the waiting list, not had approval to switch over yet, I think i will do a follow up blog post once i’ve been inside and played around with it!
I like change …… it keeps us busy, so if this can benefit businesses better then i’m all for it!
Clair
Very interesting, I didn’t realise some new changes were planned but I should always assume that there is another change round the corner, just when I get used to the latest changes there is always a new one
.
Tablets are a big thing and I am not surprised of the new changes but also, isn’t a tablet just a monitor without a back and keypad? Why do websites need to be different for a backless monitor? Just asking
I look forward to the new changes, since the start of the group we are enjoying I have found a new like for Facebook so I am not as opposed as I once was, I just hope it adds some more life back into my virtually dead Facebook page traffic.
Great post Kapil and Clair.
Andi Leeman recently posted…Don’t Spread Yourself Out Too Thinly.
Interesting post Kapil!
I welcome these changes by Facebook as hopefully they will continue to improve the site just as the last couple of changes have. Making it appear more like a newspaper sounds interesting. Is there any preliminary screenshots to take a look at?
Clair, do you know when these updates are planned to roll out. I got on the Google+ beta before they launched that worldwide a couple of months later. Do you reckon it will be a similar timeline with this?
Matt Smith recently posted…8 Top Tips To Help With eCommerce Website Design
Hi Matt,
Yes welcome new changes are great I also think too – if it wants to rival google on all levels it needs to really keep growing and developing its site.
The newsfeed is available now, you just register your interest and then they notify you when you can start running with it https://www.facebook.com/about/newsfeed – I’m still awaiting my own activation, but it shouldn’t bee too much longer!
Clair
Hi ,
Facebook is removing clutter and making facebook more reliable to all its users so that it becomes more USefull.Facebook Developers are really coming up with new changes!!
~Srikanth
Srikanth recently posted…Facebook Testing New Timeline Format
Hi Srikanth!
Thanks for the comment and coming over to view the post.
Yes i agree with you, i think the new changes are steering facebook towards a much improved user experience! I am looking forward to think rolling out now and everyone using it to gauge their thoughts!
Clair
Thanks guys for the comments – It’s good to see this topic has created a bit of a buzz. It’s good to see Facebook lifting their game after the strong press Google+ has been receiving of late. Bottom line is, this should hopefully improve the user experience, get people to stay around longer which will better help businesses target these key users.
Kapil Jekishan recently posted…Tablet Traffic Leaps Ahead Of Smartphones
Hi Kapil,
Thanks for this great post again!
I’m totally with you on your thought pattern for this new newsfeed that Facebook is launching!
Hope it lives up to my expectations!
Clair