Brand New Facebook Updates and what it means for your business
Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at F8 summit in San Jose CA. to update us on the new changes to the Facebook app, experience, data, and security.
If you didn’t get to watch the video here is a summary of what Facebook is doing to evolve and innovate. More importantly, what does it mean for your business?
In today’s society, we can not overlook big giants like Facebook, Apple, Google and other world-scale businesses that are shaping our lives, experiences, connections, and businesses.
Especially as a business owner, you need to be ahead of the curve and stay up-to-date with these advancements. Being the first at the table could mean capturing an opportunity or biting your nails after for not following the trends and being late to the party.
So let’s begin with some core focus points from the F8 Summit.
Mark Zuckerberg opened his talk with a focus on Privacy and outlined the vision for the future, making a Facebook more secure online platform for communications, payments, and browsing. After so many scandals, public outrage and media coverage they have recently experienced, it is a natural area of focus.
As you know Facebook has acquired both Instagram and Whatsapp in the last few years and they are rolling out the new privacy features and Private Conversations capabilities to both Messenger and Whatsapp.
From his talk, it is evident there is a lot more focus on private conversations and the speed of communications. Recognizing that many people now run their entire businesses with daily use of Messenger App and Whatsapp, thus more focus is going there to make it more secure, faster and feature and capability rich apps.
So what is being improved with our communication apps?
Messenger — brand new Messenger App is being released soon, with faster messenger experience, ability to chat whilst making a call and a brand new desktop app. Ability to have secret conversations and overall update of user usability making Messenger app 2 x faster and 7 x smaller.
As a business owner, that means more of your audience spending time in private conversations and expecting a more seamless experience. You know, those old contact forms on your website? It may be time to update those to messenger bots and automated chats that happen in messenger.
Whatsapp is also improving, adding new features, security and super exciting Products Catalogue. Which means more people will be able to do business using Whatsapp, as well as offer products and even take payments. Payments are huge for Whatsapp, as so far there was no monetization model for Whatsapp and this is the first time Facebook has hinted a potential for other applications of Whatsapp.
If you sell products, how will your business utilize Product Catalogs in Whatsapp? How will you collect customer data and enable for those conversations to happen within Whatsapp?
Whatsapp already trialed easy payments on Whatsapp in India and will be rolled out worldwide soon! This could not be more exciting for businesses, and perhaps scary for other alternative payment providers.
Another huge area of focus during the F8 Summit has been Communities — making it a focal point, where Mr. Zucerberg quoted “Groups are at the heart of the experience, as much as friends and family”
With a strong focus on communities and groups on facebook — there will clearly be some huge improvements and new features available within Facebook Groups. What they are we are not exactly sure yet, as nothing else was mentioned. But from other trials I have seen on Facebook, there will be new features and applications of FB groups, such as Groups for Learning, Mentoring, Social Causes, Subscriptions to Groups and many other changes. Some of which has already been rolled out, others are still being trialed and evolving.
As well as communities, Facebook is redesigning the whole interface that claims to:
- Become faster, clearer and easier to find things
- Find and connect with groups
- Make better suggestions to us
- Browse more and discover new tools
- Big focus on the group’s tab
- Video content and FB Watch
These changes are called the brand new FB5 Update — watch the space it is coming!
Also, just unveiled a brand new FB Icon that Zuckerberg said he can not remember being updates in years. Now FB will be just letters with animation running in the background representing people and communities that Facebook connects.
Not only Facebook is getting a makeover — but it’s Sister Instagram is having a major update with a brand new Shopping Channel and Check Out option making it easier to connect with brands and make in-app purchases. If you are a brand or businesses that sell goods, this is an extremely exciting update that you will want to watch closely in the coming weeks/months.
People will also be able to buy from creators — according to Zuckerberg. I am not sure what exactly that means yet but watch the space creators and IG Influencers. Something exciting undoubtedly is coming your way!
Instagram also having improvements done on its camera function and introduction of Creator Studio (Create Mode) where you can add drawings or stickers to your IG stories/lives with new features and possibilities.
One of the biggest changes it is making a landing to Instagram is DONATE Button being introduced, allowing fundraisers, donations and such done right there on Instagram. Are you in a fundraising business? This may be a game changer!
Last, but by no means the least introduction of new VR Headsets by Facebook. There is no secret that Facebook has been talking and investing a huge amount of money into AR, VR and Machine Learning.
It is also opening Spark (AR, VR) studio which is open for developers to build on, opening a huge opportunity potential to developers in this space. You can now literally build for Facebook and leverage their new introduction of Hardware.
If you are truly fascinated by AR and want to see it used in daily experiences, Facebook is launching PORTAL available in Canada and USA and later Europe.
Portal will be a device being used with Whatsapp and Messenger, which means conversations end-to-end encryptions, much like your Ipad or smart home devices.
And if you missed the F8 event in person, then you may have serious FOMO right now, as Marck Zuckerberg announced a FREE OCULUS QUEST to all attendees in the room of a brand new VA headset with no attachments or wires (just opened for pre-orders on April 2019 and will start to ship May 21st.). Yikes!
Never the less, these are very exciting changes to Facebook and social media landscape that will undoubtedly affect many businesses, people and communities.
Do you have a take on this story? Share your comment below.
Want to speak to someone about staying ahead of the curve of social media and innovation in your business? Drop me a message and let’s chat.
If you would like to catch the replay of Mark Zuckerberg talk click here https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/10107278399715421/
Written by:
Entrepreneur, speaker and founder of Women in Business
