Ben Davis says, “Live streaming via Facebook Live was opened to all verified brands at the end of 2015. Since then, many brands have got involved, not just broadcasters (such as the BBC, who trialled the tool as early as October of last year). Facebook’s F8 conference revealed that APIs will be made available, allowing the integration of Live into third-party apps. With lots to look forward to, let’s look at the baby steps brands have taken so far. Airbnb and Disney Airbnb’s big campaign, Live There, has seen it partner with Disney on The Jungle Book. As part of this partnership... [...]

Kenia says, “The rise and rise of online video content over recent years is showing no signs of slowing. According to Cisco Forecast, video will represent 69% of all consumer-based Internet traffic by 2017; this is expected to rise to 80% by 2019. Meanwhile, another study from Business Insider estimates that video advertising will account for 41% of total desktop display-related spending in 2020 in the US. Looking at these stats, it’s clear that video will continue to be a critical element of successful digital marketing strategies for the foreseeable future. As YouTube and Facebook jostle... [...]

Mari Smith says, “Content is king! This well-worn marketing adage still reflects this fact about online marketing: content remains important and valuable for brands. But now, we can replace that adage with “FAST loading content is king.” On April 12, Facebook will officially roll out a new feature, Instant Articles, for all users. Instant Articles must first be published on your own website or mobile app and then be converted into an Instant Article. Instant Articles’ most obvious benefit is to increase speed of access to content. This lightening fast mobile-only feature loads... [...]

Danny Sullivan says, “Facebook wants to ensure that Messenger is the new way that businesses can connect with people, pushing the platform and new bot support at today’s F8 annual developers conference. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke for the first 30 minutes of the opening keynote, outlining a broad vision of a world that’s better by being more connected. Messenger had perhaps the starring role in this, which got further detailed by others in following talks. A new Messenger Platform was announced, allowing developers to create bots that can automatically interact with customers,... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “Brands are about to get a much better idea of how people feel about feel about their Facebook posts and who those people are. In late February, Facebook officially rolled out a set of emojis called Reactions so that people could be more specific than the “like” button allows about how a post made them feel. Problem was, if brands wanted to keep track of how many people clicked “haha” or “wow” on a post, they had to do so manually or use Facebook’s own Page Insights analytics tool. Otherwise, Facebook grouped the five new Reactions together with “likes”... [...]

Entrepreneur says, “Facebook Inc. said on Tuesday it will allow developers to build chatbots inside its Messenger app to enable users to communicate with businesses directly in its latest effort to dominate enterprise transactions and customer service. The chatbots expedite Facebook’s moves to build out Messenger as the go-to place for users to contact businesses rather than through third-party websites and 1-800 lines. “You’ll never have to call 1-800-Flowers again,” Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said during a demonstration of how the chatbots will work. At... [...]

Tim Peterson says, “Advertisers typically pay publishers and social celebrities for branded video or advertorial campaigns based on how many people see that branded content. And Facebook can be a super-easy way to get that content in front of a lot of people, especially if a publisher or celebrity can post that paid-for content to their own Facebook page for free distribution and maximum profit. But distributing paid-for content organically on a Facebook page without Facebook’s permission has been against the company’s rules. Not anymore. On Friday, Facebook dropped its restriction around... [...]

Yaniv Masjedi says, “Facebook has changed the game for small businesses ever since its launch 12 years ago. More than 40 million companies now utilize the social network to create pages, invite communities to events, advertise and engage with customers. It is hard to believe that a mere 13 years ago, most entrepreneurs used only the Yellow Pages and print newspapers to spread the word about their businesses. Related: Use These Strategies to Engage Your Facebook Fans Are you a new entrepreneur wanting to make the most of your Facebook presence this year? If so, here are four ideas that can... [...]

Christian Mongillo says, “The digital ecosystem is undergoing a lot of changes. From Twitter, to Google, LinkedIn, and even Bing, how do you keep track of it all? Fortunately, we have you covered with an extra set of eyes and ears. The work that we do here depends upon the success of the entire digital universe: we’re always up to speed on the biggest changes and opportunities in marketing as a result. Recently, Facebook has been undergoing some changes that will be of particular relevance to publishers. Here’s what the following two updates will mean for your audience-building strategies... [...]

Tyler Horvath says, “When you spend a half a million on Facebook advertising, you are pretty much forced to know Facebook ads inside and out. In the year it took to spend $500,000 on Facebook ads, I learned a ton of very useful information about how to make the best ads, how to gain more followers and how to reach the most potential customers. If you are thinking about getting into Facebook advertising, read this article first and learn from my mistakes. 1. Have Great Targeting Targeting the right demographic is one of the most important parts of using Facebook Advertising. Facebook knows... [...]