3 big Facebook changes that could affect your business

Add these new tricks to your business’s social media marketing toolkit

Target audience: Small businesses, marketing professionals, SEO specialists, PR pros, analytics managers, brand managers, educators, Web publishers.

Post by Megan Totka
ChamberofCommerce.com

Keeping up with changes in social media can often feel like a losing battle. From algorithm updates to complex features and add-ons, platforms like Facebook often seem to be ever-evolving. There are, however, three big changes you can look forward to in the remaining months of 2015 that may be good for business. These developments not only increase engagement, but allow you to reach out to your audience in new and exciting ways.

Keep your eye out for these new additions to Facebook, and incorporate them into your social media marketing toolkit.

Cross-platform comments

1If your business has a blog, this can be a very important feature for increased exposure of your brand. Whenever someone comments on a participating on-site blog post, their comment will automatically be added to the story posted on Facebook. This will increase visibility and engagement on your company’s page without requiring your audience to comment on the Facebook post itself. If you have commenting disabled on your company’s blog, this might be a compelling reason to allow your audience to start on-site discussions.

Shareable Facebook videos

2Originally, the only way to share a video posted to Facebook was to link to it. This was, admittedly, a rather sloppy way of sharing videos, but it seems the team at Facebook has taken notice of that. You will soon be able to embed these videos elsewhere on the Internet for a more seamless sharing experience, likely resulting in more views. This is an attempt to encourage users to post videos directly to Facebook rather than embedding them via YouTube, so native Facebook videos will likely get a bump from their new algorithm as a result.

Order tracking & communications via Facebook Messenger

3This third change can be a huge improvement for a variety of industries. Online shoppers can now choose to link to their Facebook account when making purchases and receive order tracking and updates straight to their Facebook Messenger. Businesses will also be able to use this as a valuable communication tool, as customers can message them directly with any questions or concerns. This new feature can actually benefit other businesses as well. Nonprofits may have the ability to personally thank donors, and service providers may be able to update the ETA of service technicians or handle customer service issues from one convenient messaging platform. The marketing possibilities of this new tool are virtually limitless.

While it’s often difficult to keep track of Facebook updates, 2015 may actually be an exciting bonus for marketing specialists. These three changes (and others) can yield dramatic social media marketing opportunities for businesses in every industry. By taking advantage of these advancements, you can open up new avenues and connections to your audience, whether you’re an online retailer or a small business.

Megan Totka is the chief editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips, resources and business news. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the Web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. Megan can be reached at megan@chamberofcommerce.com.

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