The last 31 days of January 2020 has been heavily problematic for people around the world. With all the natural backlashes, war threats and virus outbreaks that claimed thousands of lives, it’s getting harder and harder for people to cope with every day. This may not be a lot to offer, but for Facebook, it’s a way to help people recover and re-connect. For businesses and brands, exciting and highly beneficial updates are on its way this 2020.

Home to around 2.2 billion users, Facebook, who also owns popular platforms Messenger and Instagram is no stranger to constant updates the way we’ve watched them implement changes in the past year. As marketers, it’s absolutely critical that we keep track and stay on top of these trends to stay relevant and to keep our audiences engaged.

1. Lead Generation Tools in Messenger

This tool is out there but has been in beta-testing for quite some time. For businesses, your ads can now be clicked through and lead you to Messenger for faster inquiries and transactions. Messenger will simplify customers’ answers with automated questions in a direct, conversational way that brands can quickly jump into to continue the conversation and complete the conversion process. This will allow businesses to integrate their CRM provider to continue the conversation and track leads.

2. Subscription Messaging Beta Update

The use of Subscription Messaging allows the brand to send non-promotional updates on a scheduled basis but unfortunately does not include advertisements, promotional content, solicitations, etc. On the new platform, Facebook’s Subscription Messaging is a big chance for businesses to send messages and provide their audiences with timely updates and information. This will help businesses to improve brand awareness and drive traffic to their websites which can lead to increased sales. This is a great way to promote your business on a more personal level compared to just having them be displayed in news feeds.

3. Discover Tab Phase-Out

Launched just two years ago, Facebook has recently announced that they will be removing Messenger’s Discover Tab. This is in line with Messenger’s continuous overhaul which aims to simplify and declutter the app to focus on its core function – to connect people.

4. Calibra

One of the major Facebook updates that will happen in 2020 is the launch of Calibra. A Facebook subsidiary, Calibra was designed to provide financial services under the digital wallet for the Libra network, a global cryptocurrency built on blockchain technology. This digital wallet is expected to be made available in Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp platforms, on top of its own app.

5. New Navigation and Management Tools in Business Manager

This Facebook change is much more convenient in terms of improvements to Ads Manager and Business Manager that allow brands to build ads, manage Facebook assets and permission in an easier and faster way. This is useful for business owners who manage their business pages.

6. Simplified Feed Formats

Because of the new Facebook design, primary text from seven are shorten to three lines for visibility and then prompted to click to view the entire text or post. Another major change is in terms of the aspect ratio of photos and videos from 2:3 to 4:5. These changes help to show more content in a span of one scroll.

7. Refined Targeting Options

This year, privacy has been given attention as Facebook will trim down targeting ads to users in terms of demographics and buying behavior. This is part of an effort to lessen the pop-ups of third-party companies as it was known to track online behaviors outside of Facebook. It is great for individual privacy but a hassle for businesses that advertise on social media. To clear the confusion, Facebook will still target people based on their jobs and life events listed in user’s profiles as well as interaction on pages and posts.

8. New Insights and eLearning Courses

Most businesses need a lot of improvement in terms of selling their brands to increase brand awareness and profitability. That’s why Facebook introduced free online courses for businesses to learn new marketing skills in presenting their brands. This is a great opportunity for marketers to learn how their consumers behave in order to help them grow their business.

Intimated by all these upcoming changes? Don’t fret! Having the right agency partner can help you navigate through this ever-changing digital landscape! Here at iManila, we believe in offering digital marketing services that will help you grow your business. Learn more about how we can help you here at https://imanila.ph/lets-talk/ or drop us an email at [email protected]. #iManila #DigitalAgency