Adario Strange says, “Facebook is preparing to launch its own real-time news notification app in a bid to lure people away from Twitter. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Mashable that the app is indeed in development, although a specific launch date has not been revealed. Rumors surrounding the app surfaced earlier this week on The Awl, which stated the app would be called Notify. The report also showed screenshots of the app on what appears to be iOS. Instead of focusing on aggregating the news itself, the app appears to pull together the next best thing: headline notifications... [...]

Patrick Kulp says, “Facebook will soon start looking more and more like an online shopping mall. The social network said Monday that it is adding a new mobile “shopping” tab where you can buy clothes, electronics and other items without ever leaving Facebook’s confines. The company is also rolling out new ad formats that let customers buy things directly from retailers’ pages and making its “buy” buttons more widely available. For example, click on a shirt featured in a Target ad and the site will immediately direct to Target’s shopping page where... [...]

Karissa Bell says, “If your Facebook News Feed isn’t already filled with videos, that may soon change. A series of new experimental video features, which Facebook announced Tuesday, include a dedicated feed for videos and a new picture-in-picture player for multitasking. The new features are meant to “give people more flexibility when watching videos,” according to Will Cathcart, VP of product management for Facebook. The company is in the early stages of testing a dedicated section for videos within its app and website, which will ideally help users “discover,... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Facebook is continuing to tweak and build on its ad offerings for e-commerce marketers and position the social network as an actual shopping destination. Citing a survey showing that nearly half of people come to Facebook to actively look for products, the company announced new initiatives to make it easier for users to discover — and shop for — products from their smartphones. On Monday, the company unveiled two new product tests to make it easier for users to engage with shopping ads and content in Facebook’s mobile apps. We’ve got your questions about today’s... [...]

Entrepreneur team says, “Facebook Inc wants its users to shop for clothes and other products from their mobile phones without ever leaving its app. In an effort to move further into e-commerce and compete with Amazon Inc’s retail offerings, Facebook announced Monday it is testing several ad features that allow users to shop directly through its app. Few users make purchases on mobile phones because it is slow and cumbersome, but Facebook hopes to win over more ad dollars by smoothing the process. Mobile purchases make up less than 2 percent of all retail sales, according to research firm... [...]

Patrick Kulp says, “Facebook will soon start looking more and more like an online shopping mall. The social network said Monday that it is adding a new mobile “shopping” tab where you can buy clothes, electronics and other items without ever leaving Facebook’s confines. The company is also rolling out new ad formats that let customers buy things directly from retailers’ pages and making its “buy” buttons more widely available. For example, click on a shirt featured in a Target ad and the site will immediately direct to Target’s shopping page where... [...]

John Dukes says, “One of your goals as an ecommerce store owner is to remove as much friction as possible, right? When you know where your customers are hanging out, you should be able to set up shop right there. That’s why the Facebook store option is such an important opportunity. Rather than crossing your fingers that your Facebook fans will remember to slip on over to your ecommerce site to purchase the products you introduce there on social media, what if they could just buy it right away? That’s how powerful the removal of friction can be, and that’s why you might just want to... [...]

Martin Beck says, “No one likes filling out forms on mobile devices. But Facebook is aiming to make that clunky process easier — and more likely to help businesses pull in the customer information they crave — with a new ad product that automatically fills out forms based on Facebook user data. Called “lead ads” and in testing since June, the ad unit is now available to all advertisers, Facebook said today in a blog post. The basic idea is this: When someone clicks on your lead ad, a form opens with the person’s contact information automatically populated, based on the information... [...]

Jason Parks says, “You can write the greatest novel in the world, but if nobody ends up reading your book, what purpose does it serve? The same holds true for marketers, business owners and entrepreneurs who are attempting to promote their brands on Facebook. If you run a business Facebook page, you have likely run into the problem of reaching a limited number of users, despite creating compelling content. If you want your content to be seen, shared and talked about, you’re certainly not alone. What if I were to tell you that a simple $5 marketing strategy could revamp your entire Facebook... [...]

Samuel Edwards says, “While just about every social-networking platform now has its own fully integrated advertising system, Facebook still reigns supreme in terms of features, insights and audience. As a business, that means Facebook is the ideal place to start. But unfortunately, just because Facebook is a great platform for advertising doesn’t mean all brands use it effectively. Many end up wasting money and throwing resources down the drain, because they have no strategy or don’t understand how to use it. Hopefully that’s not you. All it takes to succeed is a little knowledge... [...]