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What Happened?On March 7, 2013, Facebook introduced us to their latest updates

to the News Feed which promises to “cut the clutter” for an

improved user experience and enhanced brand presence.

The new Facebook News Feed means a more visual interface for

the user, additional options for navigating the News Feed and

a consistent experience across all devices (mobile, tablet and

desktop).

We want to give everyone in the world the best personalized

newspaper in the world.– Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO“ ”

Facebook News Feed ChangesMarch 7, 2013

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Why is this Important?Facebook has given the power of content selection back to the

users. Users choose what they want to view.

Currently, 30% of user’s News Feed content comes from Facebook

Pages, rather than users’ friends. With the new changes, users can

choose to opt out of viewing brand content and see a stream of

updates from only their friends.

Brands have to reconsider their Facebook presences to ensure

audiences will continue to opt in to engage.

Facebook’s News Feed content has moved from consisting of 20%

photos in November 2011 to 50% as of January 2013. Additionally,

Facebook reported in December 2012 that there are 680 mobile

monthly active users of its platform. The changes announced to

the News Feed address these shifts in user behavior, allowing

brands to resonate better with their audiences.

20%50%

20132011

Percentage of photos in News Feed

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Breaking Down the Changes

Facebook’s mobile-inspired design changes will roll out to users

immediately on desktop, and arrive on mobile and tablet devices

over the next few weeks.

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News Feed Filters:

Upon logging into Facebook, users will default onto the News

Feed in a similar vein as we are used to, where there’s a mix

of content from the brand Pages we Like, our friends and paid

content. However, users now have the opportunity to delve into

the follow topics individually.

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Now when users land on Facebook they will be presented with a much

wider feed. Photos and videos will appear larger within the stream.

Text that is posted with photo and video content will appear as white

copy in an overlay on the embedded media.

Photos and Videos

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User stories will be grouped together by topic and content,

allowing updates around live events & news stories to proliferate in

the News Feed.

Page Like

Now when a user Likes a Page or becomes friends with another

user, a portion of the brand or user Cover photo, as well as an

enlarged profile photo, is shared in the News Feed.

Rich and Engaging Stories

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Places

Events

Similarly, any tags of locations will embed a map image (around

the tagged location) in the News Feed.

Upcoming events are grouped together in a row with large

thumbnail images that helps them stand out in the News Feed.

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Text

Surprisingly, while the News Feed has become significantly more

visual with the new changes, the widened real estate and font

changes make way for longer-form content to be more easily

displayed and read within the News Feed.

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How does it affect your brand?

ImplicationsYour consumers have the option to hide your brand and see only

their friends. Give them a reason to want to see you by providing

value, entertainment, inspiration and/or utility.

Your consumers will be used to more, larger visuals.Their friends are sharing large amounts of photos and videos on

Facebook. Brands need to compete for users’ attention with even

more engaging visual content.

Content may become even more prominent.Facebook is improving the way it groups similar content (e.g. a link

to a trending YouTube video, news articles about a pop singer) in

the News Feed. As a result, content may jump in virality by being

more prominently displayed in users’ streams. Take advantage by

continuing to create content that consumers will want to share and

discuss.

Old ads New ads

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22squared’s News Feed POV: 5 Things To Take Away

Make Your Brand More Visual

Your audience’s friends are sharing large amounts of photos and videos on Facebook. Understand what is grabbing users’ attentions and create even more engaging visual content.

Quick Tips

• Adjust future photo content to be optimized for the wider News Feed. Specs TBD

• Update assets such as Cover photos that will now be more prominent

• About 1/3 of the Cover photo appears to be embedded in the story that appears in the News Feed

• Keep captions short, as they will be overlayed on photos and videos

Note: While Facebook did not mention this during the conference, inline Flash objects embedded in your status updates may experience specification adjustments as well, to fit into the widened feed.

Go Beyond Photos and Videos

Your brand’s Facebook Page content may not appear in all filter options of users’ streams, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a presence.

Quick Tips

• Tap the Open Graph. Generate earned media through Facebook-linked actions that will create stories in users’ own streams.

• Encourage UGC. User-generated content around your brand will lead to exposure in his or her friends’ “Friends” streams

• Encourage location check-ins. Users’ check-ins to Facebook Places are now accompanied with a visual map, so encourage mobile users to check into your physical locations.

• Consider Games & Music. If you have launched a branded game, a user’s request to friends for extra lives will appear in the “Games” stream. Sponsor a Spotify song or work with an up-and-coming YouTube personality to create branded content, and your content will pop up in the Music stream.

Be as Interesting—or More!—than Users’ Friends

Brands will compete against users’ friends for impressions and engagement time on Facebook. Continue to create compelling content and exercise use of digital coverage, partnerships, etc. to differentiate your brand from the increasingly competitive landscape that is the News Feed.

Analyze your Paid Media Performance.

While Facebook’s VP of Product Chris Cox noted after the conference that there will be no changes to ads beyond size, brands should compare the performances of ads before and after the redesign launches to see if the new user experience has affected their CPM and CPC figures.

Analyze your Organic Impressions & Engagement.

Similarly, Facebook said there are no changes to EdgeRank, but the new user experience may affect your Page’s performance. Compare data around your organic impressions & engagement numbers before and after the redesign launches to ensure you are on track to meet your Facebook goals.