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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If you're new to the show, click on the green "Watch replay" button below and sign in or register to watch our latest episode from Friday, January 19, 2018. You can also listen to the show as an audio podcast, found on iTunes/Apple Podcast, Android, Google Play, Stitcher, and RSS.

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)

One of our big focus areas for 2018 is making sure the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent.

We built...

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, January 11, 2018

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)

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.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-AtAmc-dr0

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

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 t...