Facebook F8 2019: How upcoming changes might affect your social strategy

Facebook’s annual development conference, F8, revealed a ton of exciting new features and updates. We sent Kevin and Chad from Team Edgar to get the scoop. Learn how upcoming changes might affect your social marketing strategy on Facebook.

Facebook’s rolling out a redesign focusing on groups

???? What’s changing: There’s a new Facebook experience coming to your mobile devices and desktop, courtesy of a sleek, clean redesign. Take a look…

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‍You’ll notice this redesign highlights groups! Mark Zuckerberg mentioned to conference attendees, “In addition to the digital town square, we need the equivalent of a digital living room.”Nothing captures that “living room at scale" magic like a well-moderated, super-engaged Facebook group.

This redesign also puts a stronger emphasis on events and stories.‍

What does this mean for you: If you’ve been struggling to connect with your audience by simply pushing out content from your Facebook business page, it might be time to start a group!With groups, you can find your true fans, bring them together, and take advantage of Facebook’s upcoming design changes to increase your reach.

‍Here's our definitive guide on using Facebook groups for your business. ‍

How to take action: If you haven’t built your community on Facebook, now’s the perfect time to get going. If you’ve been hesitant because you’re already strapped for time (trust me, we get it), use Edgar, our social media automation tool, to batch, schedule, and automate posting content to your group!

Two new tools will help you move your fans closer to purchase

???? What’s changing: Facebook is introducing two exciting features to help businesses move their fans and followers from casually scrolling to friction-less buying.

First up, businesses will be able to leverage new lead generation templates for Messenger using Ads Manager. This’ll allow you to create automated tailored experiences that connect your prospects and customers with the right person or content for them. Check out this example that Facebook posted:

Instagram is introducing a new feature that allows users to find, select, and purchase products directly in the app. So, if you’re favorite celebrity is wearing is a sweet new pair of Nikes, you can tap the image, find your size, and checkout on-the-spot. Currently, this feature is limited to a select few creators and brands.

What does this mean for you: Facebook is exploring new ways for brands, products, influencers, and users to connect with who they want and what they want without ever leaving the Facebook or Instagram. If you’re a business building an audience on Facebook or Instagram, expect to find easier paths to convert your passive followers into paying customers (though you should also expect to pay for that path, as you would for any other Facebook or Instagram ad.)‍

How to take action: These features are still very much being tested. Be on the lookout for public availability soon, and keep an eye on MeetEdgar’s blog for additional content as these new growth and lead generation tactics hit all users.

And that’s not all… Facebook also continues to explore virtual reality, augmented reality, and even connecting with your secret crush!

‍Do you have a secret crush on Edgar? Learn more about how he works behind-the-scenes, 24/7, keeping your social queue stacked with awesome content.