Tag: Facebook

How GE Is Using Snapchat To Drum Up Interest For Its Facebook Live Event

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
GE is sending a team into the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua, one of the world’s most active lava lakes, to install a wireless sensor network for monitoring purposes and it is using two of the hottest social media products to share this adventure with fans. Since Tuesday the company has been sending out Snapchat Stories that document its epic journey downward and is planning a Facebook Live event on August 12 straight from the site of the active volcano, allowing fans to ask the staff members all sorts of volcano-related questions.

Why Brands Should Care
GE is no stranger to livestreaming as the company has used Facebook Live and Periscope to broadcast interesting events to humanize its brand. Hosting a live event at an active volcano is an intriguing premise and using Snapchat to hype its Facebook Live event is a great touch. Brands looking to create live video content should take a cue and learn to use other social channels to properly promote Live events. In addition, Facebook has started testing mid-roll ads in Live video, something that brand marketers should look out for as well.

 

Source: The Next Web

Facebook To Live Stream Olympics Content From NBC

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook has scored an exclusive content deal with NBC for the upcoming Summer Olympics. NBC will share highlight clips and recaps of the Games each day via its Facebook Page and Instagram account. NBC will also be using Facebook Live to stream some interviews with athletes and commentators, but it won’t be broadcasting any live footage of the Games on Facebook.

This is not the first time NBC has turned to Facebook for amplifying its Olympics content – the two companies also teamed up for the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. And despite getting some exclusive content from NBC, Facebook is not the only social channel the peacock network will be using this year as NBC struck a partnership with Snapchat in April to distribute Olympics-related content via a pop-up Discovery channel and custom Live Stories.

Why Brands Should Care
This is a major score for Facebook as it continues to build out its video products in a bid to attract more ad dollars. Although Facebook has yet to introduce any ad product for its Live video or announce any sponsorship opportunity surrounding the Olympics content, this content initiative adds to Facebook’s growing video content. As Facebook continues its efforts to attract more video viewers, early-adopting brands such as Popeyes and Birchbox have been hosting live events on Facebook to engage with fans. Brands should consider trying their hands at live streaming so as to connect with an online audience in real time.

 

Source: Mashable

Facebook Tests New Video-Centric Features On Android App As Mobile Ad Sales Soar

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is building out its video products on mobile as it chases more ad dollars. The social giant has started testing a slew of video-centric features on its Android apps, including a dedicated video tab and subscription-based video channels. Facebook first started testing similar features on its desktop sites in March.

The move is most likely motivated by Facebook’s desire for more mobile ads. Earlier this week, Facebook shared that its overall ad sales hit $6.2 billion during the second quarter, increasing its overall ad revenue by 59% compared to last year. The growth is largely attributed to the strong performance of its mobile ads as 84% of its ad sales came from mobile.  

What Brands Need To Do
As Facebook continues its quest to challenge YouTube’s position as the destination for online video, it presents video advertisers with more opportunities to engage with its over 1.7 billion monthly active users with video ads. As more and more people start consuming video content on mobile devices, it is imperative that brands follow the viewers and consider adopting a mobile-heavy media mix to reflect the shift in audience behavior.

 

Sources: MediaPost & AdWeek

Facebook Updates Live Video While Seeking Content Diversity

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook continues to improve its Live video product and diversify its content. Earlier today, the social network announced that it is doubling the length limit of Live videos from two hours to four hours. Moreover, it is adding the option for viewers to mute real-time comments and Reactions during broadcasts, allowing users to focus on the content without distractions.

As for its quest for more content diversity, Facebook reportedly has committed to paying about $2.2 million in the coming months to popular video creators from YouTube, Vine, and other digital video platforms as incentive for them to use Facebook Live. The company also scored the rights to live stream nine U.S. Olympic basketball exhibition games starting July 22. The live coverage will be available on the Facebook pages of USA Basketball and the NBA and sponsored by Verizon.

What Brands Need To Do
So far, Facebook has not introduced any ad products for Live video, choosing instead to focus on improving the user experience first. However, adding Verizon as a sponsor for its live streams of basketball games suggests that Facebook may be open to brand sponsorships for Live video. The extended Live video length grants brands more freedom in conducting longer events on Facebook, and broadcasters can encourage viewers to temporarily hide comments to get their full attention during big moments.

As Facebook continues to build out Live video, early-adopting brands such as Popeyes and McDonald’s have started organizing live events to launch new products and engage with fans. For brands considering trying Facebook Live, it is important to craft engaging content that truly resonates with the target audience, but also to be flexible enough to roll with whatever happens and allow the audience to influence the narrative. For more suggestions on how brands can leverage live streaming for marketing, you can read this CMO’s Guide to Live Video on AdAge.

 

Sources: VentureBeat, WSJ, and Variety

Trolli Creates Facebook Chatbot That Engages Users With Mini-Games

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
On Tuesday, candy brand Trolli launched a Facebook Messenger chatbot that aims to engage users with a series of interactive quizzes, GIFs, and real-life rewards. The personality quizzes will assign users to three different personas corresponding to three different Trolli flavors, which each come with their own branded content to further engage customers. The “crawler,” for example, gives users a digital pet to take care of and the “blast” will dispense memes and GIFs to amuse fans on a daily basis. The company is buying ads on Facebook and other social channels to promote the chatbot and will also reward participating consumers with free candy they can redeem through Trolli’s website.

What Brands Need To Do
Unlike many other Facebook chatbots brands have developed that focus on customer service or other utilities, this Trolli chatbot stands out for the way it aims to engage consumers with gamified conversations and real-life rewards. With more and more smartphone users adopting messaging apps as their primary communication channel, it is time for brands to consider developing chatbots in order to reach prospective customers.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: AdWeek

Facebook Updates App-Install Ads With Behavioral Targeting

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is making it easier for brands and developers to find the right audience for their apps by adding targeting options based on users’ past actions. With a new ad product named App Event Optimization, app advertisers can now target users based on the actions they have taken, such as adding an item to a shopping cart, making a purchase, viewing content, or unlocking an in-game achievement. This ad product is available across Facebook, Instagram, and on sites using the Facebook Audience Network.

What Brands Need To Do
This kind of behavioral targeting tool gives app advertisers a good way to hone in on their desired audience whose previous actions indicate their interests and preferences. While app install ads have traditionally been served to a broad audience with the goal of getting as many people to download as possible, this new option gives brands a chance to focus their campaign on certain consumer segments, such as mobile shoppers or mobile game enthusiasts, and spend their ad budgets more effectively on users that they are more likely to retain.

 

Source: AdAge

 

Facebook Updates Graph API With Brand-Friendly Features

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook has updated its Graph API to add several features that buff up its support for live videos. Among the new additions, support for live audience restriction based on age, gender, language, or location stands out as it enables brands to deliver the live streams to their desired target audience only. Other added features include support for continuous Live video, more Page insights, and improved design of ads placements to make it easier for advertisers to test and select placement options.

What Brands Need To Do
Graph API, first announced at its F8 conference in May, allows developers to build rich app experiences across a variety of Facebook platforms and services, serving as a “primary way to get data in and out of Facebook’s social graph.” The added features should be useful for brands using Graph API to develop branded experiences on Facebook and its apps to reach their massive active users. With the added features for Live video, brands now have more control over the length and availability of their live streams and can leverage that to craft engaging, targeted live content for Facebook users.

 

Source: Facebook for Developers

Twitter Partners With CBS To Live Stream Democratic And Republican Conventions

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following up on its quest for more live sports events, Twitter has announced that it is partnering up with CBS News to livestream the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions later this month. Similar to its live coverage of the Wimbledon games last week, the live streams will be enhanced with convention-related tweets. This is not the first time Twitter has worked with CBS to cover the election as Twitter used the CBS News’ feed for its live coverage of two presidential debates in November and January. The stream will be available globally to any visitor to Twitter’s site or apps with no log-in required.

Why Brands Should Care
As Twitter continues to build out its livestream capabilities, it is becoming clear that it is taking a different approach than its archrival Facebook. Whereas Facebook is paying publishers and celebrity to use its live video products and encouraging user-generated live content, Twitter is mainly focused on courting media owners to cover high-profile media events, be it political conventions or sports games, and leverage those events to attract and engage with users.

Naturally, the differing approaches of the two platforms resulted in different ways of monetization. Live content on Facebook is more suited to product integration and sponsorships, whereas Twitter’s live streams rely on ad sales for now, functioning more like a digital and social extension of the traditional broadcasting system. Despite the differences, there is no denying that live video content is exploding, and it would be beneficial for brands to understand the nuances of different live-streaming platforms and choose the ones that best fit their campaign goals.

 

Source: AdWeek

How Popeyes Drummed Up Viewer Interest For Facebook Live Event

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Yesterday Popeyes hosted its first Facebook Live event to celebrate National Fried Chicken Day and connect with fans on Facebook. Broken into two sessions, the Popeyes Live Drive-Thru Bash was conducted with a simple set-up designed to mimic the drive-thru experience, with a high-energy comedian and a jazz musician addressing the viewers with trivia and music.

The kicker of the event, however, was that Popeyes handpicked some U.S. viewers who commented on the Live video post and rewarded them with a delivery of its $5 Boneless Wing Bash combo. Selected winners were announced by the host in real time and instructed to get in touch via private message to claim their free meals. So far, the two Live videos have racked up a total of over 47,000 views on Facebook.

What Brands Need To Do
While Popeyes is certainly not the first brand to host a Live event to engage with fans on social media, it is commendable for taking an extra step and adding real-time rewards into the event to entice viewer participation. As more and more brands start exploring Live videos and hosting live events, it is imperative that brands should try experimenting with the emerging format to stand out and keep viewers entertained. The high volume of engagement this event received provides a good example for brands looking to fully engage viewers during Live events and maximize the promotional impact.

 

Source: AdAge

Header image courtesy of Popeyes’ Facebook Live Video

 

Facebook Updates Messenger Platform With New Chatbot Features

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
The chatbots on Facebook Messenger are getting a little bit smarter. The social network announced on Friday a slew of new chatbot features and tools in the latest update of Messenger Platform. The stand-out additions include quick replies for guiding consumer-bot conversations, a persistent menu for easier navigation and selecting commands, account linking that users can opt into to link their Messenger accounts with their customer accounts, and support for more content types such as GIFs, audio, video, and other files. Also, users will be able to mute bots and rate the chatbots as private feedback for developers. You can click here to read more details about each of these new features.

What Brands Need To Do
With these additions, Facebook is making it easier for brands and developers to create more focused and functional chatbots. The new quick replies and persistent menus, for example, can help guide user-bot conversations and keep the interface streamlined and more user-friendly. The added support for more content types grants brands a good opportunity to spice up conversations with fun GIFs and add a touch of personality to their bots. Account linking should also help branded bots offer users that opted in a more personalized experience and optimize the conversation based on their customer profiles. Therefore, brands building chatbots for Messenger should definitely incorporate these new features into their bots when necessary.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Marketing Land

Header image courtesy of Facebook