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Everything You Need to Know About the Facebook Branded Content Tool for Influencers (Updated Nov 2017)

April 14, 2017 by The Motherhood

Disclaimer: Information below represents our findings to date. We will continue to update this post as we learn more about the Facebook Branded Content Tool for Influencers.

In April 2016, Facebook announced the release of a new tool for branded content on verified pages to create easier collaboration on sponsored posts between Pages and brands.

The initial reaction to the announcement was mostly confusion about what exactly these new guidelines meant for brands and bloggers. This was especially the case for social media influencer marketing agencies, including The Motherhood, since we work with a network of “micro influencers” who promote sponsored content on their Facebook pages frequently.

According to Markerly, marketers are seeing higher engagement results with “micro influencers,” meaning those smaller-in-reach pages produce high value for brands through their devoted and active Facebook audience.

Before we answer what this tool means for marketers running influencer campaigns, let’s back up:

What is the Facebook branded content tool?

It’s a tool integrated into Facebook that allows pages and profiles to mark content that includes a third party, brand, or sponsor.

Branded content can be a post, Instant Article, link, photo, or video. Through the branded content tool, publishers of these posts tag the marketer or sponsor’s page. The marketer who is tagged will get a notification and receive access to insights on that post (such as the number of people who have seen it, click-throughs, etc.). The brand tagged will also have the ability to boost the post through their own account.

Facebook wants sponsored content to be marked clearly, therefore updating the branded tool to include the word “Paid” in the post.

Do all influencers have to use the Facebook Branded Content Tool?

When the Branded Content Tool originally was launched in April 2016, Facebook only allowed verified pages (and then later, verified profiles) to access the branded content tool. However, Facebook recently announced that they are making the tool more widely available and offering it to non-verified pages, as well.

Starting in April 2017, for users on iOS and the web (and Android in the near future), any non-verified page can submit an application to access to the branded content tool. Facebook will begin to offer the tool on a rolling basis to non-verified pages that it predicts are most likely to use it. Pages will get a notification in Facebook if they are selected for the branded content tool.

We recommend that influencers apply for the Branded Content Tool. Once you are approved for tool (it usually only takes up to two days), you can easily mark which posts are sponsored by clicking the handshake icon when composing a new post. If you have any questions about using the Branded Content Tool within your current campaign with The Motherhood, feel free to reach out to your account manager to discuss.

Do I need to include a disclosure statement if I’m using the Branded Content Tool?

This one has caused some confusion among influencers and agencies. The short answer is yes, you still need to include a proper disclosure statement (“ad” or “sponsored”) for sponsored posts, even when using the handshake tool. Facebook has clearly defined the rules for branded content, which includes using disclosures in addition to the handshake tool:

“Comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including by ensuring that you provide all necessary disclosures to people using Facebook or Instagram, such as any disclosures needed to indicate the commercial nature of content posted by you.” (Facebook, August 2017)

Best practices for the Facebook Branded Content Tool for influencers moving forward:

If you have not already, request access to the Branded Content Tool here.
If a post is flagged as not complying with their branded content policies, Facebook will notify the publisher and the post will not appear in the News Feed until fixed.
If you are a brand or company reaching out to influencers to share branded content on their Facebook pages, we highly suggest consulting a marketing agency that has knowledge on the subject and is up-to-date on all policies. You can contact The Motherhood with inquiries at contact@themotherhood.com.

In our research since publishing this post, we have come across interesting articles on the topic that we would also like to share with you:

We are still following the news on the Facebook Branded Content Tool for Influencers, and we will be sure to keep our readers updated as the situation evolves — which, as many social media marketers know, is bound to happen! We welcome any feedback.

Updated: November 1, 2017

Facebook Reactions for Brands: “Love” and “Wow”

February 26, 2016 by The Motherhood

The long-awaited Facebook Reactions launched this week, allowing users to go beyond “liking” a post. Reactions now include options for “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad” or “angry.” At this initial stage, users seem to enjoy the Reactions, but how will brands be affected by this update?

According to Wired, “Advertisers don’t like Facebook’s Reactions. They love them.” Seeing more specifically how users respond to ads and content can give marketers greater insight into what their consumers are looking for, which can be useful in creating future campaigns, new products and more social posts, in general.

Advertisers will now have exciting opportunities to analyze campaigns with the added insights of the emotions they evoke. Brands can experiment by posting a call to action for their followers to give feedback on different posts. We do want to mention, however, that advertisers should be aware of the context in which Reactions are used. For example, a user might select the “sad” Reaction to a brand post about a new product, only because they love the brand and wish the product were available in their area.

For now, all Reactions will be treated the same as a “like” in the algorithm. Facebook has noted that they will use the new emojis to learn more about what users like and their emotions, but it is unclear how exactly this will alter measurement and the newsfeed algorithm in the future.

Facebook is constantly trying to improve users’ timelines, and using emotions will give them a huge benefit in sharing relevant information over other social media platforms. Although all Reactions are treated equal, businesses can see the breakdown of Reactions to all of their posts on Facebook’s Page Insights. Currently, the Facebook API does not allow data gathering on Reactions, but a new GraphAPI (2.6) is expected in March or April, and we may see this additional functionality then.

If you do not already have Reactions in your Facebook feed, here is how to get them.

How do you plan to use Facebook Reactions?

Featured image from Mashable.

What Facebook Reactions Means for Brands

October 29, 2015 by The Motherhood

Soon you’ll have the option to do more than simply “like” a Facebook post. Chris Cox, chief product officer, announced earlier this month that the social media company would be rolling out six reaction buttons that users can select to respond to posts. These reactions include “love,” “yay,” “haha,” “wow,” “angry” and “sad.” Facebook Reactions are currently being tested in Ireland and Spain, but the company reported that it plans to have this feature available to everyone soon.

Facebook Reactions Icons — Photo source: TechCrunch

Facebook realizes that not every post is a “likable” one (hence the popular demand for a “dislike” button). But Facebook took a potential “dislike” button a step further, because as founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the corporate town hall last month, “What [users] really want is the ability to express empathy.” As a result, Facebook consulted sociologists to help narrow down the range of human emotions when reading posts so it could implement the Reactions. The end goal was to create an easier way for people to express themselves without having to post a comment.

While it isn’t new for brands to be listening and acting on consumer conversations online, how brands are listening will always be changing. The new Facebook Reactions feature will provide brands and marketers with a new way to evaluate sentiment among their audiences.

Going beyond a mere “like” or “dislike” offers a deeper look at what consumers think, feel and want from brands. By knowing how their consumers respond emotionally to content, companies can use the data to alter products, campaigns or even the tone of their content. Read what some marketers are saying about Facebook Reactions here.

For now, each reaction will be treated the same as a “like” in the Facebook algorithm, but this could change in the future. A reaction represents a higher level of engagement from users, as it takes more time than simply liking a post, but gives options to those who may not generally take the time to type a comment.

Richard Sim, Facebook’s director of monetization product marketing, recommends that brands not create sponsored posts to try and gain certain reactions. Sim said, “At the end of the day, for a business we want you to post things that you know are going to drive business value for you, and optimizing for loves really isn’t the right business value for you.”

It will be interesting to see how brands use the Facebook Reactions data from their consumers once this feature is live.

Are you looking forward to using the Facebook Reactions buttons?

Social Media Updates: Social Buying, Business Pages and Dislike Button

September 22, 2015 by The Motherhood

With the holiday shopping season on the horizon, there have been several social media updates focused on social buying and businesses. Coincidence? We think not!

Recently, Twitter opened up buyable tweets to everyone, thanks to a partnership with Stripe. Now anyone can sell products via tweets powered by Stripe’s new API, Relay, which enables instant purchases and a streamlined payment process in third-party mobile apps (like Twitter). Here’s how in-tweet purchases work. If you want to tweet buy buttons, you’ll need to follow these steps!

Twitter is not the only one following in the footsteps of Pinterest; other social media giants are also getting in on the social shopping action.

Facebook is giving businesses a simple digital storefront, optimized for mobile devices, through a partnership with Shopify. Merchants will be able to integrate a shop section on their Facebook page where users can browse and purchase directly within the mobile app, and can even get notified when their favorite stores add new products. The Buy Button can show up in Facebook page posts and promoted post ads run by Shopify merchants, as well.

This move is in line with Facebook’s push for the platform to become the go-to mobile solution for businesses. A variety of updates will make business pages more like websites. Social media updates include customizable sections, prominent call-to-action buttons and improved messaging features for better customer service. We’ve noticed company Facebook pages rank in Google search almost as high as company websites, which begs the question: will Facebook pages become the go-to destination for company searches?

There has also been a ton of buzz around Facebook’s plans to launch a “dislike button.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the complication of integrating this option and his hopes that it will become a feature to show empathy, rather than creating negativity voting up or down on a post. So, where do you stand: do you like the “dislike” button?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!