Facebook update! First of all,
Facebook stories.
Facebook Stories might have completely passed you by.
“Facebook Stories” launched about 4-6 weeks ago and they can be found on your personal newsfeed.
Where to find Facebook Stories
If you look at the top of the screen, you’ll see some circles – this is where you can find your friends’ stories.
Now these are really similar to stories on a lot of other social media platforms.
What are Facebook Stories?
The idea is, through your day, you can add photos and videos to tell the story of your day.
Facebook bought a really great company called, Masquerade and what it means is, you can also use some quite quirky, quite fun stickers and filters and effects on your picture.
Now, stop me if this sounds a bit like Snapchat… it certainly does, doesn’t it?
Why has Facebook Launched Stories?
Why have Facebook done it?
Well, are they attacking Snapchat and trying to stop them in their tracks?
Have they seen what Snapchat are doing – they love it and they want to replicate it? Who knows.
But lots of people in the industry are bandying around the phrase, “The camera is the new keyboard.” and that within the next couple of years, Facebook is going to be all images and video.
Being cynical is a lot easier to advertise in the middle of video than it is lots of text.
So, watch this space to see what’s happening in the stories.
One thing that I have noticed at the moment, not many people are using them.
Further Reading
CNN: How to use Facebook Stories
CNET: Facebook Stories: 10 things to know about the Snapchat-like feature
Mashable: Seriously, no one is using Facebook Stories
Now onto “Facebook Rewards”
There has been some Secret Squirrel testing of something called, “Facebook Rewards” recently.
Only a very few accounts have been testing it.
And it’s not to be confused with “Facebook Offers”.
What are “Facebook Rewards”?
The best way to describe what Facebook Rewards is, is very similar to those reward cards you’ll have in your wallet for Starbucks or Boots, or all those kind of companies.
But rather than having a card in your wallet, what you’ll have on Facebook, on your Facebook app, is your own personal QR code.
How you’ll use Rewards
You can show your QR code when you walk into a shop, they will scan it and you will automatically get your rewards uploaded to your mobile phone.
Why is this great for the consumer?
Well, you don’t have to carry 10 different reward cards around your pocket and also, you’re never more than about six inches away from our phones, so that’s always handy.
Further Reading
TechCrunch: ‘Facebook Rewards’ QR codes dangle discounts for offline purchases
Independent: Facebook Rewards Loyalty Scheme gives users discounts
Ad Week: Facebook Is Testing Rewards QR Codes in Its Mobile Apps
And finally, my GENERAL top tip
And my top tip for this month is, it doesn’t matter what you do in marketing, make sure you have a call to action.
Tell people, tell your customers, what you want them to do next.
So here’s my call to action… I’ve just launched a fantastic free tool on my website, that in just a couple of clicks, you’ll be able to work out whether you’ll get a good return on investment for using Facebook Advertising.
Go check it out right HERE!
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