Got a minute? Check out our quick update on what's happening in the industry.
Facebook
Facebook is testing the idea of dividing its newsfeed in half, separating commercial posts from personal news. The test is currently being done in six countries across the world. Depending on how people respond, two newsfeeds could mean that they see fewer links to news stories.
News has proved to be a tricky area for Facebook, as hoaxes and false news stories have sometimes spread easily on the network.
Our Take:
- It's really difficult for us to visualize how the two newsfeeds work without seeing it — can you toggle back and forth? Do you get to choose which one automatically pops up? How does this entire strategy work on mobile?
- The biggest concern for us is the potential impacts to business results. Some businesses that are operating under the test have indicated that their website traffic from Facebook ads has decreased. More data is needed, but at first glance, this seems like a tough one for businesses.
Google
Google has been rolling out a new feature this year, called Google Posts, that's specifically aimed at small businesses. The initial rollout started back in June, but we're really starting to see Google push this new feature lately. Google Posts let businesses share current promotions, events, new products, etc. directly in the Google search and map results. The posts only show by default for 7 days (Google is very focused on "timely content") but are archived under the "Posts" tab on mobile.
Our Take:
- We like the concept of Google Posts -- publishing timely content for potential customers when they're searching on Google — but it hasn't been around long enough to determine its efficacy. Will it help with SEO, drive lead generation, produce more website traffic? All of that remains to be seen.
- Here's what we do know: it couldn't hurt. If you have the time and resources available to post on another platform, getting your message in front of customers on the very platform they're searching on is not a bad idea!
