6 Content Tools For Mastering Facebook’s New Page Rules

Facebook is changing the rules again for business pages, but this time it’s not necessarily a bad thing.  In a recent blog post, Facebook shared new testing results that show, the more text-only status updates people see, the more they share. However, a text-only status update from business and fan pages did not produce the same result as the same status updates from regular users. Because of this, Facebook has decided to pull back on text updates from Pages.

So what should marketers do? Use the tools below to curate and create shareable content for Facebook pages.

Focus on media content and link-based content.  

Use tools like AllTop and Scoop.it to find relevant news stories and trending news. Facebook recommends using its link share tool rather than embedding a link in the text of the update. The link tool offers a better media experience for the user.

Include topic relevant hashtags in posts. 

Use relevant hashtags in status updates so content appears in user searches.  Tagboard is a tool to help analyze a hashtag in Facebook, as well as across several platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Vine.  Once a valuable hashtag is identified, look for opportunities to engage with others who are using the hashtag.

Use images to share marketing messages.  

Tools like Picmonkey and Pinwords can be used to create text-based images with photo backgrounds. Use these tools to share marketing messages but also to tap into creating content around national holidays.  Quotes tied to influencer holidays, like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, demonstrate a commitment to community, and help boost engagement and page awareness because they appeal to important audience social triggers.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Use images to share testimonials and reviews.

Marketers have long been advised to keep self-promotion to a minimum, but it is important to add customer testimonials and reviews to the content mix. There are two opportunities with this.  Share positive feedback by embedding Facebook posts in other digital marketing channels, and cross channels by embedding other social media comments in the Facebook page. In the example below, the screenshot of a LinkedIn comment is saved as an image and used in a Facebook page status update.

HR and Marketing Converge Testimonial

Use Facebook photo albums to tell the business story.

In a recent post, we shared one strategy for taking customer testimonials and sharing them across multiple digital channels. For our client, we compiled customer testimonials from the company’s Facebook page and created images of the testimonials using Pinstamatic.  For this company, Facebook was the primary resource for customer feedback. We created a photo album of all of the testimonials, optimized the content on each channel with keywords and backlinks to the company website, and drove new visitors to the website.

Facebook Album page

This has your brain going doesn’t it? Use the ideas we’ve shared to update your content calendar and master Facebook’s new page rules.  Return the favor and share your own ideas in the comments!

4 replies
  1. Word Ninja
    Word Ninja says:

    jolynndeal Thanks for the quick reply. That was my thought, too. Yes, the rules change so often I’m not sure why they call them rules. Why not “temporary suggestions”?

  2. jolynndeal
    jolynndeal says:

    Word Ninja I struggle a little with that and here’s the rule I follow. If someone posts on my Facebook page, there isn’t an expectation of privacy because it depends on what I have the privacy settings set to. It was also created as a public Facebook page.  I use testimonies from my Facebook page, and the LinkedIn example I included was from an open LinkedIn group. Anyone in the world can join that group, so there’s no level of privacy that should be expected. You could always ask the person, but I really don’t feel it’s necessary.
    Thanks for the nice comment about printing it out!  It will definitely have a shelf life because we know Facebook changes the rules all the time. :) But, that’s ok because it keeps our creativity flowing.

  3. Word Ninja
    Word Ninja says:

    I am printing this out for reference over the next couple of weeks…yes, ON PAPER. That’s how good this is. :) I manage the social media for a liberal arts college, and I’m going to try some of these. I’ll let you know how it goes. One question…when using a pic of someone’s comment, is it necessary to mention to that person that the comment is appearing on another channel? Or do you think people already have a “this could be shared” expectation when they comment? I may do this with a wonderful Facebook comment we received, but share it as a pic on Twitter.

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