Facebook News Feed Changes: Why We Need a New Strategy

Welcome to this week's edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media.

On this week's Social Media Marketing Talk Show, we explore Facebook news feed changes with Michael Stelzner and other breaking social media marketing news of the week!

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For this week's top stories, you'll find timestamps below that allow you to fast-forward in the replay above.

Facebook Shifts Organic Reach for Page Posts: Last week, Facebook announced major changes to how it organically serves page posts from businesses and publishers. In a statement on the Facebook Media site, the company announced it will now “prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people… [and] posts from friends and family over public content.” While many marketers and business page owners took this to mean the end of their Facebook content reach or the effectiveness of their Facebook ads, industry experts have reassured page owners that this recent change merely requires an adjustment to their Facebook strategies and may actually benefit those using their Facebook presence to authentically engage and interact with their community. (5:22)

Facebook Tests New “Watch Party” Feature for Groups: Facebook is testing a new video experience called Watch Party. This new feature allows Facebook group admins and moderators to select any public video on Facebook (live or recorded) and share it with other members of the group, who can then watch at the same time and in the same place. The videos will also have a dedicated comment reel with everyone watching and reacting to the same moments together and creating a deeper shared viewing experience. Facebook watch parties are being tested with “a handful of Groups” but the company is looking to expand this new feature soon. (51:45)

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Instagram Tests New “Type” Feature for Stories: In December, it was reported that Instagram is currently testing five new fonts for Instagram Stories among users in Japan. This week, it was discovered that Instagram is now testing these fonts with a new text-only Stories format called Type. The Next Web reports that this feature appears as an additional option at the bottom of the Stories camera, along with Boomerang and Rewind. There are several fonts and backgrounds to choose from, but users can also upload their own image to use as a background or apply a filter that emphasizes the text.

Instagram Adds New “Show Activity Status” Feature in Direct Messages: Instagram's new Show Activity Status notification in Direct Messages now shows other accounts you follow and anyone you have messaged in the past when you were last active on Instagram apps. Android Police reports that this option is found under Settings and can be disabled if you don't want others to see this alert. However, disabling also prevents you from seeing when someone else was last active on Instagram.

Instagram starts showing activity status in direct messages https://t.co/ssVQlTzUor pic.twitter.com/Kxj3hN5iIL

— Android Police (@AndroidPolice) January 18, 2018

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LinkedIn Sunsets Groups App for iOS and Unveils Group Updates for Web and Mobile: In an email sent to group admins, LinkedIn introduced some upcoming changes that entail “re-integrating [LinkedIn] Groups back into the core LinkedIn experience.” The official announcement from the company states that the platform will no longer support its stand-alone iOS Groups app as of February 15, 2018, and also unveiled improvements coming to the main LinkedIn Groups for the web and mobile. These include the ability to access groups from the homepage and richer conversation tools like video posts and @mentions.

Facebook Enters Into Music Rights Agreements With More Companies: Facebook recently announced partnerships with two of the largest music companies in the world, Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV. Last week, Facebook announced that it has entered into a user-generated content agreement with Global Music Rights, a first of its kind, and partnerships with SESAC's HFA/Rumblefish and Kobalt Music Publishing. Global Music Rights represents esteemed writers and performers like Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, Drake, Bruce Springsteen, and Smokey Robinson, while SESAC's HFA/Rumblefish and Kobalt Music Publishing represent the independent publishing community. Like the partnerships with Universal and Sony, these three new agreements will also enable users to upload and share videos with music on Facebook, Instagram, and Oculus and allow publishers to be compensated for the use of their music.

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