This week's 'Skim is all about expanding audiences: Facebook is soliciting original TV-like series, and it's changing its algorithm in a way that devalues Likes; Pinterest sneaks in a new Web extension that lets users search the platform from any website; the reason NBCUniversal just invested $0.5 billion in Snapchat; how to use video on LinkedIn; the best digital channels for generating B2B leads; and much more... 1. Your Facebook Likes just lost value Attention, the Facebook algorithm has changed once again, and now your social media team might want to double down on efforts to encourage users to use Reactions other than simple Likes. Though Facebook and YouTube are in the game, hoping to put 360 and VR in the hands of everyone, Vimeo is taking an approach that could hit dedicated filmmakers and brands with greater incentive to join the VR game. In the meantime, Facebook recently released a dedicated 360-degree app for Samsung Gear virtual reality headset to help users find content to watch. LinkedIn might not have introduced livestreaming or made a big push for video content from publishers and users like the other big social networks have, but that doesn't mean video can't help your brand stand out on the platform. From adding videos to your brand's updates to increase engagement, to including them in Publisher posts to help them stand out in the flood of stories from other companies, hare are hot tips for using video on LinkedIn. What your marketing team should know about Facebook user engagement in 2017 A study of over 25 million posts has found that three major changes to Facebook's algorithm in 2016 made engagement rates increase after a seven-month period of decline. User-generated content garnered 6.9 times the engagement of brand content, which explains why many brands now look to influencer marketing to make up the difference. Where does social media come in amid B2B brands' preferred channels for driving leads? The channels most applied by B2B digital marketers are social media (95%), email (93%), and organic search (91%), but email and organic search rank as the top channels for driving leads.
This week’s ‘Skim is all about expanding audiences: Facebook is soliciting original TV-like series, and it’s changing its algorithm in a way that devalues Likes; Pinterest sneaks in a new Web extension that lets users search the platform from any website; the reason NBCUniversal just invested $0.5 billion in Snapchat; how to use video on LinkedIn; the best digital channels for generating B2B leads; and much more…
1. Facebook eyes original ‘TV-like’ programming
The Wall Street Journal reported that the social network is soliciting pitches for 30-minute television-like shows across six genres, including science, lifestyle, and sports. This is apparently part of Facebook’s latest attempt to tackle the TV market after the announcement of its dedicated set-top TV app just weeks ago.
Facebook has refused to comment on the report. WSJ suggests the social giant is looking for weekly series, and it’s willing to pay for some shows—particularly scripted content.
Though Facebook could be gearing up to take on behemoths like Netflix, which is slated to spend $6 billion on premium content this year, a better bet is that it’s simply putting feelers out to expand revenue streams.
2. You can now search Pinterest from anywhere
See something you like somewhere online other than on Pinterest? No problem. The pinboarding social network has released a Pinterest lover’s dream Google Chrome browser extension that lets you save any image found online and ask Pinterest to surface photos of similar items using its image recognition software.
Users will be redirected back to Pinterest when they select one of the results, which means the social network could increase its website traffic.
But the move comes with challenges, as brands can opt out of enabling the extension on their websites to avoid Pinterest’s “stealing” their leads. And Pinterest must convince users to not only use Google Chrome as a Web browser but also download the new extension.
Last week the media conglomerate followed up its $400 million investment in BuzzFeed, and $200 million investment in Vox Media, with a $.5 billion investment in newly public Snapchat.
The company bought shares of Snap Inc. at $17 before they traded on the open market, and those shares were trading at $22.07 at press time. NBCUniversal signed a one-year lock-up, so it cannot sell the shares for now.
The deal helps position NBCUniversal to reach a young audience that’s increasingly uninterested in traditional television.
4. Your Facebook Likes just lost value
Attention, the Facebook algorithm has changed once again, and now your social media team might want to double down on efforts to encourage users to use Reactions other than simple Likes. That’s right, the social network reworked its algorithm to give more weight to Reactions including Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry than Like.
Facebook claims that these alternative Reactions provide a deeper indication of engagement among its users, and increased use of them on your brand’s posts means they’ll garner more visibility in users’ news feeds.
Facebook now ranks your ???’s above your ??’s https://t.co/D7kQuQemlQ pic.twitter.com/sizJwd0Fh9
— TNW (@TheNextWeb) February 28, 2017
5. Vimeo tackles YouTube, Facebook, with virtual reality experience marketplace
Last week the video network, a premium YouTube competitor, added the ability for users to upload and view 360-degree videos. That’s no front page story these days, but the company’s done something Facebook and YouTube so far haven’t: opened up a marketplace for content creators to…
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