Top Facebook/Meta Ads Updates and News that Can Make or Break Your Sales in 2022
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If you're using Facebook for any reason, especially for digital marketing - you need to stay up to date on the latest and greatest it has to offer. Of course, any good social media platform will update its functionality to account for new trends, ideas and expanded technological capabilities. Still, trends can be hard to track when you've got a lot on your plate. Facebook isn't shying away from change, nearly constantly reinventing its offerings. Don't worry - we're here to help. Just read this article to be up to date on all the Facebook/Meta ad news for 2022 (so far!).
Let's start with what Facebook users have been asking for: more transparency regarding political advertising. Finally, after much public pressure, Facebook/ Meta has taken the step to provide more tools for academics to understand how and why certain users get targeted. This feature launched at the end of June and is available to "vetted academic researchers through the Facebook Open Research and Transparency (FORT) environment." This service will make available information that was previously unknown, like "the interest categories chosen by advertisers."
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Users can expect more updates: "We are committed to providing meaningful transparency while also protecting people's privacy. In updating our tools, we solicited advice from external experts in the academic community and civil society on how to best achieve both of these important objectives, and we will continue to do so as we continue to evolve these tools."
Meta Boost Small Business Studio:
Meta recently launched the Good Ideas Exchange, where they came together with other industry leaders and small business owners to try and get to the bottom of what challenges small business owners face. They concluded that "content creation and creative strategy" are the most significant issues that small business owners face when growing their businesses. As a result, Meta Boost Small Business studios was created to help small enterprises to build creative digital marketing skills! This is a big Facebook update that could really make your business.
Meta/ Facebook offers a variety of online training through the small business studio, including a build your brand workshop, reels school, Photography virtual workshop, and one-on-one support sessions. These courses are designed to help demystify these practices so that small business owners can learn new skills and focus on whatever product or service they offer.
In addition to their virtual series, they will offer some in-person events hosted by Meta Experts. If you're interested, you can learn more here.
WhatsApp:
That's not all that's new this year on the small business front. Meta has also announced a Facebook ad update for 2022 that will impact small business owners. Many businesses have found that creating an ad that opens to a WhatsApp chat is an excellent way to relate with customers directly. Meta will "soon make it possible to create the full ad directly from the WhatsApp Business app."
And they're not stopping there. Meta is also making it a lot easier to communicate with potential buyers. For example, they're testing a new feature allowing businesses to "send campaigns via messenger to customers who opt-in."
They're also expanding their offerings regarding lead generation and customer acquisition tools.
Request a Quote: Customers can click a small button on a company's Instagram profile, where they can fill out a questionnaire to send to a business. The business can then quickly and painlessly provide a quote for that customer.
Better Leads: Soon, companies will be able to more easily sift through the leads that aren't right for them. Customers will answer a multiple choice question which allows businesses to choose the creme de la creme.
Exclusive Content: Organizations will be able to offer gated content for interested parties who complete "the leads ads instant form."
Integrations: You can now directly download your information into your CRM to streamline customer interactions.
Creator Revenue:
Let's hear about other updates straight from the horse's mouth.
Mark Zuckerberg recently shared on his personal Facebook page that they're "rolling out more ways for creators to make money on Facebook and Instagram."
Here are the ways they plan to do that:
1. Money will continue to be distributed straight to creators. Zuckerberg announced that there will be no revenue sharing at least until 2024.
2. "Subscriber-only Facebook groups": Facebook will allow creators to provide their paying subscribers "on other platforms access to subscriber-only Facebook groups."
3. Facebook Stars*: Now will be available to all eligible creators.
4. Creator Marketplace: "A set place on Instagram where creators can get discovered and paid, and where brands can share new partnership opportunities."
5. Digital Collectibles: "We're expanding our test so more creators around the world can display their NFTs on Instagram. We'll bring this feature to Facebook soon…"
The Feed Tab:
Facebook is launching this new tab that allows users to more efficiently view content created by their friends and family (something they had been shying away from in recent years). According to reports, this tab will show users a mixture of reels and stories created by their family and friends. The rest of the content they interact with will be found on the homepage.
Reels:
One final, massive change that you may have already heard, seen or experienced is that Facebook will now be launching Reels. Reels, made famous by Instagram following the TikTok format, are short videos that take up the entirety of a user's screen. Video has sky-rocketed in popularity, especially after the rise of TikTok. As a result, reels is now the fastest-growing content form for Facebook.
Reels offer new opportunities to advertisers to share their messages and for creators to make content and earn money.
You can find Reels in various places: stories, the watch tab, and the feed.
Needless to say, there have been many Facebook Ad changes in 2022 and likely more to come as the year is just over half over. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your finger on the pulse of what Meta and Facebook are changing if you want to stay on top of your digital advertising.
