INTRODUCTION
According to Statista, Facebook is the most popular social media network in terms of the number of active monthly users, which currently exceeds 2.9 billion users. That comes as no surprise since the social media giant has dominated the industry since 2009.
Part of Facebook’s success can be attributed to the ongoing changes and improvements made to the platform to enhance the user experience and keep up with the competition.
Following are some new features and updates to Facebook in 2022:
FACEBOOK REBRANDS TO META
In case you missed it, Facebook announced a major brand change at its 2021 Connect conference, where it revealed the new name of its parent company as Meta (formerly Facebook, Inc.). According to Meta, the change took place to unify all of its apps and technologies (including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp) under one new brand with the focus of bringing the metaverse to life to help people connect, find communities and grow businesses.
While the name of the Facebook platform remains unchanged, some of its corresponding tools may look a little different. For instance, Facebook Business Suite is now known as Meta Business Suite.
THE NEW PAGE EXPERIENCE WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT
If you’ve been on Facebook for a while, you have likely seen many iterations of the Facebook page layout. The most recent change is called the “New Pages Experience,” which was introduced to select accounts back in 2020. Facebook is still rolling this out, but you will likely see a notification about the change in the near future (if you haven’t already).
The new layout essentially gives your business page its own profile, similar to what you see on your personal account. It is intended to be more intuitive so you can interact with your followers and other pages more seamlessly. For instance, you will be able to toggle between your individual Facebook profile and your Page profile to ensure you’re commenting, posting and sharing from the right account.
You also will have a dedicated business feed so you can view content from the accounts your Page profile follows.
The overall look and functionality are similar to the classic page experience with a few key differences. For instance, you will still have an ongoing timeline for your posts and visible information about your business. You also will be able to access photos, videos and events in the same way. The way you manage your page, however, will look a little different. Instead of having a menu on your page, these tools will be housed in your professional dashboard.
Page roles, such as moderator or editor, also will be removed. Instead, you have the option of assigning Facebook access (e.g., full or partial access) or task access. Task access allows you to assign specific roles without allowing access to your page from Facebook. Individuals with task access will need to use tools like Meta Business Suite to manage the page. Page likes also will be eliminated from the New Pages Experience–only your followers will be transitioned over.
FACEBOOK ADDS REELS
Reels were originally launched on Instagram in 2020 as a way to compete with short-form video platforms like TikTok. They’ve since become one of the most consumable types of content, so it’s no surprise Facebook introduced them as well.
To create a Facebook Reel from a classic page, navigate to the “Create a post” section on a mobile device. Then select the Reel option below. From there, you can select media from your camera roll or take a new video and add effects. You also can set the length to 15, 30 or 60 sec., adjust the speed or add audio.
If you have the New Pages Experience, go to the home page of your business profile on your mobile device and click “Reels.” Then click “Create reel” to get started. You will then have the same creative options as you would on the classic page format.
Facebook users can view Reels in the “Reels” section on their mobile devices (located at the top next to Stories). Plus, Facebook has recently started to embed them in the news feed to increase visibility as people scroll.
Facebook also created a Reels placement for ads so brands can reach people in a new way.
UPDATES TO ADVERTISING
Meta is continuously updating its advertising infrastructure to improve the user experience and help brands reach their target audiences. In fact, you may have noticed that they recently made changes to their interest-based targeting parameters. If you haven’t already, you should look through your audiences and adjust accordingly.
In addition, Meta recently updated its requirements for social issues ads. Typically, brands running ads related to social issues need to complete a special authorization process and include a “paid for by” disclaimer to launch a campaign.
While intended to promote transparency, this has been a source of frustration for brands that aren’t pushing an agenda. For example, an eco-friendly retail company referencing the environment in their ad would have had to abide by the social issues protocols.
Meta now allows certain ads to bypass the social issues process. The Meta Business Help Center includes examples of qualifying ads, but in general, ads must follow three criteria.
- A product or service is prominently shown in use or named or referenced in the ad;
- The primary purpose of the ad is to sell a product or promote a service, even if the ad content includes advocacy for a social issue; and
- The ad content contains a call-to-action to purchase or use the product or service.
Meta also is exploring options to give advertisers more control over the placement of their ads. One example includes content-based feed controls in which brands can avoid content categories that don’t align with their values. In addition, Meta is partnering with a third-party company to measure the suitability of ad placements and ensure they are delivered in the appropriate context.
Finally, Meta introduced the Meta Advantage Suite for automated ads, which houses existing products like dynamic experiences and lookalike expansion in one central location.
NEW GROUP ADMIN FEATURES
Over the past few years, Facebook has shifted a lot of its focus to building meaningful communities with Facebook Groups. Recently, the platform introduced new Group admin tools to further improve security and functionality.
Some new features include expanded mute functions and the ability for admins to suspend toxic group members from participating in the group. There also is an option to automatically decline incoming posts that have been flagged by third-party fact-checkers as containing false information.
Facebook also improved Group admins’ ability to manage the group with a new layout to their Admin Home page. For instance, admins can now sort and search for tasks more easily and access an insights summary to better understand their group’s growth and engagement.
There also is an “Admin Assist” feature that can automatically approve or decline member requests based on specific criteria. For example, admins can decline requests from users who didn’t agree to the group rules or automatically approve requests from people who have a friend that is already in the group.
Admins can grow their group in a couple of new ways as well. The first uses a QR code that admins can share, and the second allows admins to send group invitations via email.