by 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 the Facebook desktop and mobile redesign and new Messenger business tools announced at the F8 Developer Conference, with our special guest, Mari Smith.
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About Our Special Guest
- Mari Smith is a consultant for Facebook and the leading expert on Facebook marketing. She’s the author of The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web.
Facebook pushed a series of product updates and announcements in its annual F8 Developer Conference, held on April 30 and May 1, 2019, in San Jose, California. For the top stories, you’ll find timestamps below that allow you to fast-forward in the replay above.
Facebook Redesigns Mobile App and Desktop Site Around Stories, Groups, and Events: Facebook unveiled a redesign that’s simpler, faster, more immersive, and puts the focus on Stories, Groups, and Events. Facebook users should begin seeing the new look in the mobile apps this week. It will expand to the desktop site “in the next few months.” (2:54)
The new look puts Stories at the forefront and features a prominent Groups tab with a personalized activity feed with updates from across all of your groups. The new Groups tab will have an improved Discovery tool with better recommendations for other groups in which users might be interested. Specialized types of groups such as health support, job, and buy and sell will also get new tools.
Groups at the Heart of Facebook
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Later this summer, Facebook will roll out a new Events tab “so you can see what’s happening around you, get recommendations, discover local businesses, and coordinate with friends to make plans to get together.”
Facebook Makes It Easier to “Meet New Friends”: Facebook is currently testing a Meet New Friends tool in select markets. It eventually plans a wider rollout and integration with Groups. This new feature allows users to browse people from shared communities such as school, workplace, or city, and makes it possible to discover new connections on Facebook. (30:30)
Facebook hopes to revitalize its aging social graph by helping you meet new friends, not just reconnect with old ones https://t.co/krklcRmZiS 2/ tip @Techmeme pic.twitter.com/awGVnv22ot
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) April 30, 2019
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Messenger Introduces Lighter, Faster Mobile App and Upcoming Desktop Site: After simplifying and decluttering the Messenger interface in October 2018, Facebook is re-engineering the architecture of the platform “from the ground up” to be faster and lighter. The stripped-down version of Messenger will focus on chat, highlight your “close friends,” and feature video co-watching capabilities. The redesigned Messenger experience will roll out to mobile later this year with an updated desktop site to follow soon. (33:36)
Facebook Messenger will get Mac & PC apps which could boost business usage and put an end to browser tab juggling 7/ https://t.co/T3B7HT72vr
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) April 30, 2019
Facebook Adds New Business Tools: Along with the revamped interface, Messenger is providing a new set of plug-and-play solutions aimed at making it easier for businesses to drive in-store traffic, generate leads, and provide customer care. These include an appointment-booking function, a lead generation template built directly into Ads Manager, and easy authentication. (35:45)
Facebook Allows Page Admins to Change Their Display Name and Photo on Messenger: It appears that Facebook now allows page admins to select their display name and photo when they use Messenger on behalf of their page or business. This update was discovered by Social Media Examiner founder and CEO Michael Stelzner. (43:28)
Instagram Adds Ability to Shop From Creators: Instagram users will soon be able to shop fashion looks directly from creators’ Instagram photos with a new product tagging tool. The company will begin publicly testing this feature next week “with a small group of influencers” before rolling it out to the global community. Instagram notes that those participating in the test are also part of the test for in-app checkout, so users will be able to shop and finalize a purchase without leaving the app. (48:09)
Instagram Adds Donation Stickers to Stories: Starting this week, Instagram users in the U.S. will be able to raise money for non-profits they care about directly within Stories. A new Donation sticker joins Instagram’s library of interactive sticker options. This option is currently only available in the U.S., but Instagram is working to bring it to more countries. (49:00)
Instagram Introduces New Camera Design With Create Mode: In the coming weeks, Instagram will have a refreshed camera design that includes a new Create Mode. The new camera will make it simpler to use popular creative tools like effects and interactive stickers without having to start with a photo or video. Instagram states that the new camera and Create Mode are expected to roll out globally “soon.” (49:15)
WhatsApp Debuts Business Catalog and Expand Payments Globally: In the coming months, WhatsApp users will be able to see a Business Catalog when chatting with a brand. With Business Catalogs, businesses can showcase their goods where people can easily find them. (56:20)
WhatsApp future vision: ‘Private commerce’ and payments by @gsterling https://t.co/64B8a5qvah
— Marketing Land (@Marketingland) April 30, 2019
WhatsApp also plans to expand in-app payments globally and introduce ads to the platform in the coming months.
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