TOP TWENTY-FIVE 2022-2023 TELEVISION NETWORKS

#1 CBS (5,888,000; down 5%)
#2 NBC (5,218,000; down 13%)
#3 Fox (4,419,000; down 1%)
#4 ABC (4,111,000; down 1%)
#5 ESPN (2,186,000; up 2%)
#6 Fox News (2,109,000; down 15%)
#7 Univision (1,279,000; down 14%)
#8 MSNBC (1,185,000; up 2%)
#9 TNT (1,073,000; down 9%)
#10 Hallmark (1,012,000; down 13%)
#11 Ion (964,000; down 6%)
#12 HGTV (959,000; down 16%)
#13 Telemundo (936,000; down 6%)
#14 TBS (881,000; down 19%)
#15 History (814,000; down 5%)
#16 TLC (791,000; down 23%)
#17 Discovery (721,000; down 17%)
#18 Food Network (720,000; down 15%)
#19 INSP (708,000; down 14%)
#20 USA Network (672,000; down 13%)
#21 Me TV (638,000; down 10%)
#22 CNN (605,000; down 19%)
#23 Bravo (551,000; down 16%)
#24 The CW (543,000; down 16%)
#25 ID (537,000; down 11%)

Facebook is Letting Some Users View Instagram Stories on Facebook

 

It’s not just Facebook’s messaging tools that are slowly becoming more intertwined – this week, some users have reported seeing this notification in their Facebook feed:

The note, as you can see, explains that some users are now able to view Instagram Stories on Facebook, with the Instagram Story appearing within the Facebook Stories feed, though with an Instagram rainbow border around the profile circle, as opposed to a Facebook blue one.

The screenshot, confirmed by Facebook, which has said that this is a limited test for now, and that it will be analyzing feedback on initial responses to the option.

And it’s not exactly straight-forward – as per the description in the screenshots, in order to view an Instagram Story on Facebook, you have to be connected with that user on both Facebook and Instagram AND that user has to have linked their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Most people likely have connected their presences on both platforms, (as Facebook prompts you to do so at every opportunity), but it does also mean that the process is beholden to your privacy settings on both. If you’ve restricted who can access your Stories on Instagram, your Facebook connections also won’t be able to see it. Unless they’re in your ‘Close Friends’ group. Or something.

Basically, the only people who’ll be eligible to view your Instagram Stories on Facebook are the ones that you’re connected to on both. Which probably means your closer connections – but then again, brands that have a presence on both, which you follow on both, will also be eligible to have their Stories displayed via this linkage. I think.

At any rate, it’s a small scale test for now, so you probably won’t see this new pop-up. But if the test goes well, it could be another exposure option to keep in mind.

As noted, in some ways, it’s an expansion of Facebook’s effort to integrate its back-end processes, which some have suggested is a means to help it avoid being broken up, if the ongoing antitrust investigation into Facebook were to progress to that stage.

If Facebook could argue that its networks are all connected, and that functionality on each app is tied to the other, that could make it harder to separate its apps, if it were asked to do so.

At the same time, it also boosts Stories exposure, and could help Facebook increase engagement.

Again, it’s a small scale test for now, but we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on its progress. #TheMoreWeKnow💡 #cnasophis

Facebook Outlines New Measures to Protect the Integrity of the US Presidential Election

The US Presidential Election campaigns are gaining momentum, and the expectation is that it will be one of most divisive and volatile political battles in the nation’s history.

And already, there have been accusations of questionable tactics, and concerns around the use of misinformation in order to gain advantage. Questions have been raised around the voting process itself, the use of image editing and ‘deepfakes‘, and foreign interference already. And this is before we’ve really reached the main campaign period – over the next two months, you can expect there to be much, much more on this front, as the contenders seek to get an edge in the race.

Facebook knows that it’ll caught be in the middle of this, just as it was in 2016, and along with the various new measures that it’s implemented to better detect political misuse, and protect voters from such, this week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg some additional steps that it’s taking in order to uphold the integrity of the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Here’s what’s been announced:

Voter Information Push

Facebook says that it will present authoritative information on voting at the top of Facebook and Instagram “almost every day until the election”, via its Voting Information Center.

The informational prompts are part of Facebook’s effort to get more people to the polls, with a goal of encouraging four million more Americans to vote.

Hopefully, through these prompts, Facebook will be able to counter voting misinformation, and encourage more people to have their say on the nation’s leadership, according to an article written by Andrew Hutchinson, Social Media Today (09.04.20).

The informational prompts will include video tutorials on how to vote, and updates on deadlines for registering and voting in your state.

Blocking New Political Ads in the Lead-Up to the Poll

After weighing a political advertising blackout period in the days leading into the vote, Facebook has now decided to only block new political ads during the final week of the campaign.

As explained by Zuckerberg:

“It’s important that campaigns can run get out the vote campaigns, and I generally believe the best antidote to bad speech is more speech, but in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims. So in the week before the election, we won’t accept new political or issue ads.”

That will mean that existing ads can still run, while the respective campaigns will also be able to adjust the targeting and budget for their previously launched promotions. But new ads will not be authorized in that final week.

Many have criticized the decision, including the Trump campaign, which says that President Trump will essentially be “silenced by the Silicon Valley Mafia” in the crucial, final stretch of the campaign.

Which is not true – Trump, and indeed any other candidate, will still be able to post to their Facebook Page in that last week. They just won’t be able to boost such or push new ads, while the option to amplify previously existing campaigns will still afford them the capacity to amplify their messaging via paid means.

Some have suggested that the ruling is too soft, and that Facebook should implement a full blackout period to stop voter manipulation, while others have noted that the expected uptick in early and mail-in voting this year will render the measure useless either way.

But there is some solid logic to the measure.

Last year, in the Australian Federal Election, the Liberal Coalition won the vote, despite most pundits tipping the Labor Party to win, based on the campaign. One of the key reasons the Labor Party is believed to have lost the final vote, despite seemingly leading the race, was a late push from the Liberal Party which suggested that Labor would increase taxes – and specifically, that Labor would introduce a ‘death tax’ that would see people forced to pay up to 30% tax on any inheritance they may receive from deceased friends or relatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which wasn’t true – the Labor Party had repeatedly denied that it was even considering such a measure, and re-stated, repeatedly, that this was not the case.

But in the final days of the campaign, the Liberal Coalition ramped up its rhetoric. And based on Google search activity, that had a major impact.

As you can see here, the election was held on May 18th, and searches for ‘death tax’ and ‘inheritance tax’ in Australia significantly ramped up in that last week.

The Coalition clearly saw this as a key area of concern for voters, and worked to amplify such in the final lead-up to the vote. Given this, it could be argued that, with more time, the Labor Party may have been able to counter the concern more effectively.

As such, stopping the amplification of such messaging in that last week could actually be critically important – so while it’s not a full ban, as some had hoped for, and Facebook still won’t fact check political ads, it may be a more important measure than many are anticipating.

Only time, of course, will tell.

Removing Election Misinformation

Facebook will also expand its efforts to remove misinformation about voting.

“We already committed to partnering with state election authorities to identify and remove false claims about polling conditions in the last 72 hours of the campaign, but given that this election will include large amounts of early voting, we’re extending that period to begin now and continue through the election until we have a clear result.”

The act of voting itself will be a key element of focus, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly criticizing the voting process, and the variations being made to accommodate voters amid COVID-19.

Just this week, Trump suggested that voters test the integrity of the system by seeking to vote twice, which is illegal in every US state.

With doubts like this being cast over the process, Facebook is looking to get ahead of any such activity, and take more action to remove voting misinformation from its platform.

Limiting Message Forwarding

Facebook has also announced that it will implement a new limit on message forwarding in Messenger in order to restrict the spread of viral misinformation via message.

As per Facebook:

“We’re introducing a forwarding limit on Messenger, so messages can only be forwarded to five people or groups at a time. Limiting forwarding is an effective way to slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content that has the potential to cause real world harm.”

Facebook implemented the same in WhatsApp back in April, in order to stem the flow of COVID-19 misinformation campaigns, which, Facebook says, lead to a 70% reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages sent in the app.

With Facebook implementing more measures to restrict the flow of misinformation in its main app, many activists and campaigners have turned to messaging to continue their efforts, and this proactive step by Facebook could be a significant measure to restrict any such push.

Cracking Down on Voting Misrepresentation

Facebook is also expanding its enforcement efforts against voting misinformation in posts.

“We already remove explicit misrepresentations about how or when to vote that could cause someone to lose their opportunity to vote – for example, saying things like “you can send in your mail ballot up to 3 days after election day”, which is obviously not true. (In most states, mail-in ballots have to be *received* by election day, not just mailed, in order to be counted.) We’re now expanding this policy to include implicit misrepresentations about voting too, like “I hear anybody with a driver’s license gets a ballot this year”, because it might mislead you about what you need to do to get a ballot, even if that wouldn’t necessarily invalidate your vote by itself.”

The expanded crackdown will help to dispel falsehoods about the voting process.

In addition, Facebook is also implementing new rules against using threats related to COVID-19 to discourage voting.

“We’ll remove posts with claims that people will get COVID-19 if they take part in voting. We’ll attach a link to authoritative information about COVID-19 to posts that might use the virus to discourage voting, and we’re not going to allow this kind of content in ads.”

Already, claims about protest activity and COVID-19 have been used to discourage people from voting in some areas.

Policing Premature Claims About the Election Outcome

Finally, another key area of concern, which Facebook has already flagged, is the possibility of civil unrest as a result of the final outcome of the vote.

Last month, The New York Times reported that Facebook has been exploring measures it might take in case President Trump decides not to accept the results of the 2020 election.

Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the integrity of the voting process, has thus far avoided questions about whether he will accept the final result – and now, Facebook has announced a range of additional measures that it will take to counter any effort to claim victory, or question the result, in the wake of the poll.

First, Facebook says that it will partner with Reuters and the National Election Pool to provide authoritative information about election results.

“We’ll show this in the Voting Information Center so it’s easily accessible, and we’ll notify people proactively as results become available. Importantly, if any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the results are in, we’ll add a label to their post educating that official results are not yet in and directing people to the official results.”

Facebook will also add an “informational label” to any post which seeks to delegitimize the outcome of the election or discuss the legitimacy of voting methods – which, Facebook says, will include any posts by the President.

Facebook will also increase its monitoring and enforcement efforts for groups like QAnon, which some are concerned may seek to organize violence or civil unrest in the period after the election. Facebook removed thousands of groups and Pages associated with QAnon specifically last month.

These are some significant measures, and while Facebook still, as noted, won’t be fact checking political ads, the measures introduced here could go a long way in combatting efforts to manipulate voters during the campaign.

It’s difficult to know how effective the measures will be, and unfortunately, we won’t have any definitive insight till after the election, but within the parameters of Facebook’s approach to political content, these are important steps, which could have a major impact.

In respect to how effective they are, Facebook is also conducting a large scale analysis of its impact on the political process, which will involve it gaining permission from users to analyze their activity throughout the campaign period.

And this week, reports have emerged that as part of this effort, Facebook may actually pay some users not to use their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

That likely relates to a control group – if Facebook wants to measure the full impacts of its posts and updates on voting behavior, it needs to have a comparison. By having a group of users not use Facebook or Instagram, then getting insight into how they voted and engaged with political content without these platforms, it will help the researchers establish a better baseline of what impact Facebook actually has.

There’s a lot going on, and with Facebook set to come under intense scrutiny, it’s working to do all it can to protect users from manipulation.

Will it work? Should Facebook do more? We’ll soon find out, as the campaign is about to kick into overdrive. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis

Facebook Tests New Page Design Which De-Emphasizes Like Counts

Facebook is testing a new Page format in its app which is designed to put more emphasis on the essential Page details – and which also, interestingly, removes the option to Like a Page, with the focus instead shifted to ‘Following’.

 

The example below shows the current format (left) and the new format side-by-side. As you can see, the new layout includes a larger, central profile image, a short statement beneath the name, and larger text for the key details.

 

But the biggest change is the removal of the Like button. As you can see, the main CTA button on the new Page is a prominent, blue ‘Follow’ prompt, while the total Like count is also not displayed. Instead, a total ‘followers’ figure is shown.

 

That actually makes a lot of sense. While people who Like a Facebook Page also automatically become followers of the same, many subsequently opt to stop following at some stage.

 

So while your Like count might be 1,000, at least some of those people won’t be seeing your updates. But your followers will. People who’ve expressly chosen to follow a Page will (in most cases) see all of that Page’s updates, and in this respect, the follower count is far more valuable than the Like figure.

 

That doesn’t mean that Likes serve no purpose, Facebook still uses Likes as a proxy for a Page’s popularity and relevance, which would have some impact on reach within its algorithm.

 

But then again, given the fact that it’s now testing the removal of Page Likes as an option, it probably isn’t weighting them very heavily.

 

So really, Followers is a much more relevant indicator, any way you look at it.

The new Page layout also includes some admin and system changes that will make Pages easier to manage.

 

For one, Facebook is looking to make it easier to switch between your personal and business Pages, so you can comment and interact from each with a few taps.

 

Facebook’s also looking to make it easier to assign and manage admin access permissions based on specific Page elements.

 

These changes are relatively minor, but helpful either way, while the removal of Likes has more broader reaching implications and considerations, which could eventually change the general Facebook management process.

 

The new format is currently being tested with a small group of public figures, but Facebook is broadening the test over time to more Pages. If/when it becomes available to you, you’ll be notified in the app. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis💡

Facebook Boasts High CTRs for Educator-Targeted Ads

Ads placed in Facebook news feeds account for almost three-quarters (74.3%) of total link clicks from Facebook ads targeted towards educators, per a new study [download page] from MDR. The report explores the optimum placement, platform and time for advertisers to get through to educators online.

When it comes to reaching educators, Facebook stands out as the platform with the highest average unique click-through rate (2.6%), almost double that of Audience Network’s 1.5%. Instagram follows with an average unique click-through rate of 1.4%, and Messenger rounds out the list at 1%.

These figures are based on MDR customer campaigns delivered throughout 2019.

On Facebook alone, ad performance is heavily influenced by where an ad is placed. While the top 3 performers in terms of ad placement are the Facebook news feed, the Facebook right column and banner, and native/interstitial ads, ad performance in the news feed stands out from the rest. Accounting for a majority (51.1% share) of total impressions, news feed ads also make up 57.3% of total page engagement and a full 74.3% of total link clicks.

However, advertisers can also consider how Facebook compares to email as a top channel for getting through to educators. The report illustrates a 24-hour cycle wherein email cuts through at certain times of day, and Facebook at others. Email opens start to pick up around 7 AM, peaking at around 10 AM through 1 PM. From 2 PM email opens see a steady decline, at which time Facebook engagement slowly picks up. By 5 PM, Facebook engagement is higher than email opens, peaking at around 10 PM.

Interestingly, despite email delivery rate being far lower on the weekend than it is on weekdays, unique open rates for emails targeting educators are above average on Saturday and Sunday. Similarly, though more emails are delivered during the working day, open rate is highest at 5 AM, and from 5 PM onwards, indicating a potential link between educators’ email engagement and their busy times. It’s also worth noting that prior research found that Education emails generally had an above-average open rate in 2019.

(NOTE: About the Data: Findings are based on an analysis of “more than 6,00 email campaigns deployed more than 102 million delivered emails, more than 200 Facebook campaigns generating 13.8 million impressions, and more than 100 web advertising campaigns, resulting in 13 million impressions that ran over the course of 2019.”) #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis 💡

6 FACEBOOK Ad Mistakes That Can Sink Your Marketing Budget (and How to Avoid Them)

For those clients who do not really understand FACEBOOK, here are some tips to keep in mind. Facebook ads can be a great promotional option, and can provide significant benefits, with respect to both increasing brand awareness and boosting sales. But not all Facebook ad campaigns are created equal.

Often, even a seemingly simple oversight can cause you to quickly burn through your Facebook ads budget, without getting the results you want.

Like any marketing platform, Facebook ads require more than just engaging copy and standout visuals (though each is also critically important). By avoiding some common, simple Facebook ad mistakes, you can maximize your chances of achieving your desired results.

Here are six common Facebook ad errors that you need to avoid.

1. RUNNING ADS AT ALL TIMES

As with traditional ad mediums like TV and radio, you shouldn’t run the same ads all day and all night.

If you don’t set a limit on how often your ads are shown, you run the risk of overexposing your target audience, in fact, research from The Drum shows that users can start to experience campaign fatigue within three days of launch, if you’re not careful.

One of the best ways to avoid this is to set a custom schedule for your Facebook ad campaign. This enables you to only show your ads during the days, or at times that are of most relevance to your target audience.

By reaching customers at the times when they’re more likely to buy, and minimizing the risk of overexposure, you’ll see improved response to your campaign/s.

2. IRRELEVANT LANDING PAGES

An engaging Facebook ad is only one half of the equation, you also need to consider where your ad takes users after they click.

For most brands, their ads will lead to a landing page, which is where you need to fulfill the promise of your initial promotion, and deliver on what’s grabbed their interest.

Unfortunately, many advertisers slip up at this point. Some marketers will run a promotion for a specific product, only to lead engaged users through to a generic home page – or even a completely different offer.

Your potential customers clicked on your ad because of what it promised. If the landing page connected to that ad doesn’t deliver on that promise, with matching copy, visuals and the like, those prospects will click away and your marketing budget will go to waste.

Ensure your landing page matches your ad. This is a key fundamental of Facebook ad performance.

3. CONSTANTLY TINKERING WITH YOUR CAMPAIGN

Facebook can be a remarkable, and powerful platform for marketing, but that doesn’t mean that your campaign will always deliver amazing results from the get-go.

Facebook’s ad system uses machine learning to optimize for best results, but in order to maximize performance, it needs time to measure user response, then adjust accordingly.

Facebook explains this as a “learning phase”, in which it collects and evaluates initial performance, as per Facebook:
“The learning phase is the period when the delivery system still has a lot to learn about an ad set. During the learning phase, the delivery system is exploring the best way to deliver your ad set – so performance is less stable and cost-per-action (CPA) is usually worse. The learning phase occurs when you create a new ad or ad set or make a significant edit to an existing one.”

Research from KlientBoost found that most campaigns will take 24 to 48 hours to get enough data to fully optimize ad delivery. Impatient marketers who run short campaigns or begin tinkering after just a few hours will never reach this point, and will end up wasting their budget on unoptimized ads.

It can be tempting to make quick changes, especially when real dollars are on the line, but it may be worth waiting, where possible, or running your campaigns in set phases, in order to ensure that you’re seeing optimal response.

4. NOT ACTIVATING FACEBOOK AUTOMATED RULES

Even the best-run campaign will become less effective over time, and if you don’t have the capacity to constantly check-in and monitor your results, you run the risk of overlooking key issues. That can drive up your cost per acquisition, and eat away at your marketing budget – but by utilizing Facebook’s Automated Rules, you can avoid this.

Facebook’s Automated Rules enable you to automatically switch off a campaign or ad, or adjust a campaign budget or bid, based on set conditions.

As per Facebook:
“When you create automated rules in Ads Manager, they automatically check your campaigns, ad sets and ads, and then update or notify you of any changes. In addition to these automatic checks and notifications, the tool will also take the necessary actions for you.”

Your automated rules can include thresholds on cost per acquisition, number of impressions, daily spend, and more.

And while, as noted, you can let Facebook make automatic adjustments, AdEspresso recommends that you have Facebook simply send you a notification, so that you can make any needed changes yourself. That’ll ensure that you maintain control over, and awareness of, any campaign changes.

5. CONTINUING TO MARKET TO CONVERTED CUSTOMERS

Remarketing can be a highly beneficial approach, but you don’t want to keep sending the same ad to someone who’s already clicked on it. If someone has already converted as a result of seeing your ad, they likely won’t want to see that ad again the next time they scroll through their feed.

To avoid this, be sure to exclude people who have purchased the advertised product within the last month (or taken the relevant campaign action) within your custom audiences settings.

Doing so will ensure that your ads reach new audiences who have the potential to become paying customers, while not annoying those who already know your brand.

6. NOT EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT AD TYPES

Every audience is different, which inevitably means that they’ll also respond and engage in different ways with varying types of promotions.

Far too many brands funnel all of their Facebook marketing dollars into standard News Feed or right column ads, when you have the option to create potentially more engaging campaigns by experimenting with different media options, like videos or GIFs.

In one case study shared by Facebook, Champs Sports increased its return on ad spend by using 6-second video ads instead of 30-second ad units.

“In this case, the 6-second ads delivered an 11% increase in estimated ad recall, 12% increase in return on ad spend and 271% increase in video completion rate – proving to be most effective in driving results for the brand. The 6-second ads also resulted in incremental lift across several other key metrics including conversion rate, average purchase value and clickthrough rate.”

Facebook marketers are leaving money on the table if they don’t A/B test different ad formats, finding the most effective format for your unique audience will help you make the most of your budget.

As noted, Facebook marketing can be a major boon for your marketing efforts, especially with the continued rollout of new features like search ads and mid-roll video ads. But regardless of whether you’re using these new options, or traditional Facebook advertising, you need to always be mindful of the way the platform works.

By optimizing your campaigns for Facebook’s audiences, you can have confidence that your ads will stay within budget, and deliver meaningful, tangible results for your business. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis💡

FACEBOOK Adds Custom Audience Creation Options Based on Shopping Activity

 

With Facebook and Instagram Shops on the way, Facebook has this week added some handy new Custom Audience creation options to align with increasing eCommerce activity.

 

As you can see in this screenshot, according to Andrew Hutchinson, Social Media Today 060120, now, in your Custom Audience options through Facebook Ads Manager, there’s a new option to create a listing based on ‘Shopping’.

Click through on that and you’ll have three new options to build custom lists for ad retargeting:

The available options are:

 

. People who viewed products

. People who added any products to their basket

. People who purchased any products

 

That provides a range of helpful ways to re-engage people who’ve expressed a clear interest in your products, and with customers up to 70% more likely to convert when retargeted with display ads, these will be valuable options for those looking to maximize their Facebook and Instagram eCommerce efforts.

The additions are a logical extension of Facebook’s existing retargeting options, which, as noted, will be of significant benefit, while they’ll also provide the capacity to create Lookalike Audiences based on the same. When you go to create a Lookalike Audience, you’ll be able to use your new Shopping custom audience as a base, which could help you target more users that are increasingly likely to buy, based on their on-platform behaviors and interests.

 

Clever use of audience segmentation and retargeting is key to success in digital marketing, and Facebook is looking to make it easier, with tools like these and it’s recently added email marketing options within the Pages app.

 

This will enable more retailers to get more out of their Facebook marketing efforts, and could go a long way to significantly improving overall performance.

 

The new audience options are being rolled out to all advertisers. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis💡

Facebook Expands Creator Monetization Program, Adds New Analytics Tools and Ad Options

Facebook is opening up its Fan Subscriptions and live-stream ‘Stars’ payment options to more creators, while also adding new ad tools and analytics insights to help creators maximize their Facebook presence.

 

The changes come as Facebook sees major increases in video viewing amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, with the consumption of live-streaming, in particular, reaching new highs.

 

First off, Facebook says that it will now allow more creators to sign up for its monetization tools.

 

As per Facebook:

“We’ve seen tremendous interest from people wanting to support their favorite creators, so we’re making fan subscriptions and Stars available to more creators.”

 

Now, any Facebook Page that meets the eligibility criteria will be able to sign-up for monetization. Though the actual details of eligilibity remain slightly vague:

“Creators and publishers must have an authentic, established presence on Facebook. To be eligible for all monetization features, this means having an established presence for at least 90 days. To gain access to in-stream ads, this also includes maintaining a sufficient follower base, indicated by your Facebook friends or followers.”

 

‘Sufficient’ is not a hard number, but you can get check your Page’s eligibility and apply here.

 

For those that do qualify, Facebook’s now adding new monetization options, including monthly recurring payments (fan subscriptions) and Stars goals which appear as a permanent overlay in videos.”

Creators and publishers must have an authentic, established presence on Facebook. To be eligible for all monetization features, this means having an established presence for at least 90 days. To gain access to in-stream ads, this also includes maintaining a sufficient follower base, indicated by your Facebook friends or followers.”

 

Facebook’s also adding automated thank you cards to acknowledge fan contributions in-stream – which seems to somewhat go against the ethos of crediting your committed fans, but it can also be difficult to individually respond to each during a broadcast.

 

In addition to this, Facebook’s adding more options for creators to monetize their video content:

Ads in Short-form Video – Facebook says that creators will now be able to monetize 60-180 second videos with image and post-roll ads.

. Ads for Live Video – Facebook is also working on new ad formats for live-streams, including mid-roll ads which play in the main screen while the stream continues in a smaller window.

. New Ad Experiences – Facebook’s also working to increase overall payouts for video creators in Watch. “For example, when people start watching videos in News Feed, we’re testing the option to continue watching in Watch after viewing a short ad”.

 

The tools will facilitate more revenue options for creators, and are minimally interruptive – or at least, no more interruptive that what viewers are accustomed to on other video platforms.

In addition to this, and in line with the increasing shift to digital events in replacement of physical functions, Facebook’s also testing a new option which would enable Page owners to monetize live events on Facebook.

“Paid online events are a new way of monetizing your live online event through a one-time access charge that’s collected when guests register to attend. Enabling an admission fee is done through the event set-up process and requires you to sign our terms of service and have a payment account on file.”

 

Many event organizers have already made a similar shift, posting events through a third-party event management platform, where they can charge an access fee, then providing attendees with approved entry. This option would essentially remove that middle step, enabling you to host the whole process through Facebook.

 

The option is being rolled out to selected Pages, with Facebook looking to expand the program in the coming weeks.

In addition to this, Facebook’s also adding new insights into Facebook Live broadcasts within the Video Details Explorer dashboard, including specific information on Stars performance.

 

And lastly, Facebook’s also rolling out new ‘Comment Insights’ for creators, which show how commenting on posts may lead to increased engagement and impressions.

Some users seeing the new prompts in action. Facebook also notes that it will provide weekly summaries of such in future.

 

As noted, with the increased shift to online video consumption, Facebook has been looking into new ways to help creators generate more revenue, in order to both keep them posting more regularly, and to provide an alternative source of revenue for musicians and other artists that have lost out due to COVID-19. These tools address some key elements, while the improved analytics will help guide your process in creating more effective, engaging content.

 

As always, the resulting effects will relate to your individual interpretation of the data, posting basic replies to every comment may or may not help, depending on how you do it, but it will provide new considerations, while also enabling more people to monetize their Facebook content. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis💡

Facebook Rolls Out Updates for Live Producer Streaming Platform, Including Graphic Overlays for Broadcasts

This could help to liven up your Facebook Live streams.
Back in March, Facebook announced a range of coming updates to its Live Producer platform for desktop streams, including graphic overlays and featured comments during the broadcast.

And while they’re not available to all users as yet, this week, Facebook has been rolling out the options to more creators, with Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith sharing these images of the new tools in action.

As you can see in the 2nd image, some users are now seeing a dedicated ‘Graphics’ tab in Live Producer, which enables you to add different types of graphic overlays on your stream.

Among the various options:

. You can add a news ticker that scrolls along the bottom of the broadcast

. You can highlight viewer comments on top of the stream

. You can run polls, and display viewer results in real-time

The options can add an extra level of professionalism to your Facebook Live streams, and with people now creating and consuming more live-stream content than ever amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, it could be the perfect time to up your live-stream skills in order to maximize audience engagement.

In addition to this, Facebook is also adding a new ‘Feature Link’ option for your live-streams:

That could provide another means to drive direct traffic from your stream, keeping your CTA top of mind as you broadcast.

These are some handy, helpful tools, which, as noted, come at a perfect time. Facebook has reported that viewership of Facebook Live streams has risen by 50% since January, with live videos also generally seeing much higher levels of engagement than regular video uploads.

Again, not all users will have access to these new Live Producer features as yet, but Facebook is rolling them out to more users, so if you’re not seeing them yet, you will soon.
You can access Facebook Live Producer here. #TheMoreWeKnow💡#cnasophis

Facebook Makes ‘Collections’ Lists Publicly Shareable, Which Could Add New Functionality

In December last year, Facebook announced a new addition to its ‘Collections’ saved content option, which enabled users to share their Collections with friends, and invite others to contribute to the listings.

Collections provides a way to gather groups of posts, videos, Marketplace listings or ads, and save them in a separate list. Similar to Pinterest’s shared boards, Collections gives users a way to showcase the things that they’re interested in, while also, as noted, enabling friends to contribute, which can be helpful for event planning, gift registry listings, travel ideas, etc.

But now,  according to Andrew Hutchinson, Social Media Today 061720,  Facebook’s looking to expand Collections even further, with a new test of an option to share your saved Collections publicly, and enable friends to follow your lists.

In the screenshots above, you can see the new prompts for users to share their Collections publicly, with a new set of audience options to choose who can see and comment on your Collection.

In the case of collaborative Collections, the capacity to share more broadly could help to make it a more engaging option. But in the case or product listings in Collections, based on Marketplace posts, ads, and in future, products from Facebook shops, it could have an even bigger impact.

As we noted with the addition of shared lists among friends, the option opens up new avenues for influencer collaborations, with the capacity to use Collections to promote specific products or tools. The problem, at that stage, was scalability – as users wereonly able to share their Collections with a small amount of people, it limited its potential usage in this respect.

Now, people who post Collections will be able to share them publicly, which could open up a range of new use cases for promotions, with themed Collection sets available on anybody’s profile (once fully rolled out), which could help brands promote their products via influential community members.

In fact, similar Collections are available as part of Facebook’s new Shops option, with themed sets of items one of the display types.

Imagine that, but expanded to every user, where each individual Facebook profile can provide a showcase of items that people like.

There’s a range of opportunities here. At present, Facebook is only testing the new sharing options with a selected group of users in the US. But it could be worth keeping an eye on, and considering as another product promotion tool. #TheMoreWeKnow #cnasophis #Facebook