An explore page, group video, hashtag in profiles and updated messenger, here are a few Facebook and Instagram features you should know about.
Facebook News Feed Update
A fundamental shift in the Facebook algorithm so your news feed features more content that you want to see and from the people, you want to see it from. The objective is to encourage more meaningful social conversations.
What this means for brands? You need to find smarter ways to get on the news feed – be more intentional in your organic posts and encourage on-platform engagement (eg. polls). Have a more targeted approach to your ads and posts in general. Use up and coming features like Facebook Live to drum up conversations.
Explore and Search Page on Instagram
Since this page was first launched in 2015, Facebook has been making regular updates. Coming soon is a completely redesigned version of this page, featuring Instagram posts based on what you’ve liked and browse content via a new ‘channels’ feature. Users will have a lot more control of what they see, so it is important to create/ curate content keeping them in mind.
Group Video on Instagram
Reconfirming that video is the way forward with everything, Facebook has announced that soon you will be able to video chat on the Instagram platform. You can talk to one person privately or hold a group video chat.
Facebook Groups Updates
There will soon be a tab that brings all your groups together in one place. There is also an announcement on making a Join Group button available to embed on websites. Tells you of the importance of groups and why you should make them work for you.
Messenger Redesign
The messenger app will become simpler and cleaner, much faster to use. As Facebook actively pushes this app and syncs it with advertising and bots, this update was much needed.
Hashtag in Instagram Bio
A single clickable link in your profile and 150 characters was never going to be enough for businesses. Thankfully, now you can link via a hashtag (#) – case in point to create one for your brand – so people can link to your content via that. Not only can you now add clickable hashtags to your profile’s bio on Instagram, but you can also add clickable links to other profiles in your bio.
AR Camera Effects
It’s quite cool what camera effects can do to your post engagements on Instagram. When rolled out in full, make sure you get familiar with this visual effects feature and use it effectively within your posts.