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

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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.

Photo credit: Facebook

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 [email protected].

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

Social Fresh 2016 Conference Trends Round-Up

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The Motherhood is thrilled to have been able to attend the Social Fresh 2016 Conference in Orlando! We heard from an amazing lineup of speakers who shared valuable insights on everything from creating authentic brand content, to running social ads, to providing SEO predictions for the future — just to name a few topics. We especially loved learning that more than half of the conference speakers were female, the most they’ve had in any of the 18 Social Fresh conferences to date! All of the speakers were incredible. Thank you to the presenters and Social Fresh team who made this conference a must-attend event.

Here are some of the trends, ideas and insights that grabbed our attention at Social Fresh 2016:

1. Human-first, good-quality content is still key.

The Social Fresh 2016 team presented this stat: “creating content is the most time-intensive task for social media teams, taking up 18.5 percent of their days!” As any content creator knows, it can be difficult coming up with creative and relatable content; however, when done correctly, it pays off:

  • 67 percent of followers will share your content if it is good. – Heather Taylor
  • 78 percent of followers believe that companies that provide good content want to build a relationship with them. – Melanie Deziel
  • Videos that show people in the first several seconds receive twice the amount of engagement. – Stacy Minero

It’s no surprise to us that authentic content equals the best content. Conference speakers, like author Sally Hogshead and Cory Vasquez of RE/MAX, drove home the fact that people want to see relatable, empathetic content from brands and influencers. Real, honest posts will cut through the crowded social space. 

Hogshead encouraged the room to stop looking at what will make their brand better, but to look at what makes them different, and capitalize on that. Being different can be your brand’s advantage. In her words, “The goal isn’t to create the same message to blast to your following. The goal is to create the right messages that break through and stand out.”

Having “human-first” content was another prevalent theme. Vasquez shared a checklist of characteristics that make her brand’s content “human-first”: timely, engaging, honest, relatable, good quality and empathetic. Twitter’s Stacy Minero also encouraged the audience of marketers to highlight human stories, saying, “People are drawn to people.”

Screen Shot 2016-08-23 at 9.01.34 AM

Takeaways for creating human-first, branded content:

  • “People can tell when you’re trying to go viral, so be authentic.” – Jeremy Goldman
  • Expert content creator Sarah Evans encouraged the audience to ask themselves, “Will this make people care, share or swear? If none of those, it’s boring content.”
  • “Woo them, don’t sell them…. Lay off the sales pitch!” – Heather Taylor

2. Video (especially Live Video) continues to become more and more important!

Jeremy Goldman of the Firebrand Group shared an eye-opening session on the future of video in marketing. The Firebrand Group found in a recent survey that the majority of marketers (75 percent) are turning to Facebook for videos, rather than YouTube or other platforms, due to higher engagement. YouTube video comments don’t hold as much value as a like, comment or share on Facebook.

Screen Shot 2016-08-23 at 9.03.16 AM
Their study also showed that 85 percent of marketers see positive ROI from video marketing. Goldman predicted this video trend to rise, saying, “As video grows in popularity, the demand for good–quality videos is skyrocketing.”

This is a trend our own network of influencers has also been predicting, calling video the #1 trend in blogging and social media in 2016.

Takeaways for creating compelling videos:

  • 80 percent of people mute ads, so make sure your ads make sense without audio, or use text and captioning within the video content.
  • Always think, “How can I make this video social and interactive?”
  • Pay to promote your Live videos after they are broadcast Live.

3. Twitter is becoming more interactive.

Minero shared ways of getting your followers’ attention in their feed. She reported that Twitter is moving away from broad impressions and toward participation — from viewing to doing. With attention spans as short as eight seconds, attention is the new currency in brand advertising, according to Minero.

In order to “stop people in their feed,” companies are working with Twitter to create customized branded emojis and stickers. Minero used the #TacoEmojiGenerator as a great example of this, which was a hit with the Social Fresh audience.

 Minero’s tips for creating hashtags on Twitter:

  • Keep in mind that the most utilized hashtags are usually the less branded ones.
  • Let your hashtag provide a way for people to express themselves and their motivations (see REI’s campaign for #OptOutside as a great example of this!).

Were you at the Social Fresh 2016 Conference? We’d love to hear your top takeaways from the event or your feedback on our takeaways!

 

Social Showdown: Instagram Stories vs. Snapchat Stories

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Last week, the launch of Instagram Stories shook up the social media world, drawing immediate comparisons to Snapchat. Soon enough, everyone—from consumers to brands to bloggers—will pick a favorite.

While both platforms appear similar at first glance, there are some nuanced variations that will appeal to different audiences. The Motherhood’s social listening team took a deeper dive into the competing offerings to identify some differences between the two.

Content: Are you a Creator or a Consumer?

There are those who prefer to take a more active role in publishing content and those who more passively enjoy taking it in from their feeds.

Snapchat prioritizes content creation over consumption, whereas Instagram has long been focused on content discovery. After all, Instagram opens to a user’s feed as opposed to the camera screen, like Snapchat.

Instagram makes user discovery easier, too, by showing profiles at the top of users’ feeds. With Snapchat, users must know and search for a company or influencer’s username before following them.

For these reasons, Instagram is more brand-friendly for content publishers, such as companies and influencers interested in broadcasting messages to their audiences.

The Measurement Factor

Though Instagram is currently a more measurable platform than Snapchat (making it more appealing to brands and many bloggers), at the moment, Instagram Stories do not allow public likes or comments. Rather, users must use Instagram Direct to weigh in on a story – meaning there are no likes or comments to measure. It is possible, however, to share a picture or video clip from your story directly as a post in your feed, which then allows for engagement on that particular post, as well as encourages people to watch your story.

Instagram, like Snapchat, does offer the ability to track how many users saw a certain story, and does so in a clearly visible way. As Fast Company says, “One of the open secrets to [Instagram’s] success is that it’s trained users—through design choices like this—like watching those numbers tick up and to make decisions accordingly. So while Instagram’s viewer counter is also an eyeball icon with a number next to it, and while Instagram also shows you both a total head count and who those viewers are, it puts that information all in one place instead of making you dig for it like Snapchat does.”

This feature, combined with Instagram’s larger built-in following, is an obvious plus for brands, especially. Case in point: On the first day Instagram Stories rolled out, Nike garnered 800,000 views in 24 hours for a story the brand posted. On Snapchat, Nike’s most popular video received 66,000 views.

Feature Advantages

One immediate difference Instagram offers over Snapchat is that it clearly defines its features for the user with prompts and tips–something that appeals to those who find Snapchat too difficult to navigate.

However, Snapchat does currently have some feature advantages over Instagram, including geofilters (denoting where an image was taken) and selfie lenses, both of which provide a distinguishable reason for users to keep going back to Snapchat.

Time will tell which platform will entice more users, but for now, it seems like for brands, marketers and influencers, Instagram may have the edge over Snapchat.

We want to hear from you! Are you planning on using Instagram Stories exclusively over Snapchat (or vice versa), or do you think there are applications for both?

 

 

 

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

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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.

Highlights from the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

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This year, more than 150,000 people attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where annually, the latest and greatest in technology makes its debut. Among the plethora of newly launched gadgets, a few specific trends emerged from the show. Read on for highlights from 2016’s CES:

CES Debuts New Smart Home Developments and Connected Devices

It comes as no surprise that more and more manufacturers are ensuring their products are internet-ready to streamline the customer experience. In fact, it is estimated that 15,000 of the 20,000 new products presented at CES have sensors that make them internet-capable.

One of the most buzzed-about connected products that debuted last week is the LG Signature Refrigerator, an appliance that takes convenience to the next level. The refrigerator’s doors open with a wave of your foot, and a knock on the door makes the opaque surface transparent, saving energy when you need to browse your fridge inventory.

Since its launch in June 2015, Amazon’s voice-activated assistant, Echo, has been paving the way for centralized smart home automation. Last week at CES, we saw several manufacturers launch Echo-compatible products and apps that make the “smart home” concept even more of a reality.

For instance, TrackR’s Bravo ($29) is a small Bluetooth-enabled tag that you can attach to your keys, wallet or virtually anything else. As a result of Echo’s new integration with Amazon’s Echo, users will be able to ask Echo to help find their missing, tagged items.

Ford drivers will also soon be able communicate with in-home systems that are set up with Amazon’s Echo from their car. That means one day, drivers will be able to activate their home security systems or shut off their porch lights from the road.

CESPhoto credit: Business Wire

360-Degree Video

Another emerging trend to watch is 360-degree video. With this technology, viewers can get a dynamic, holistic view of an event or subject on screen (as an example, check out this red carpet footage from the Golden Globes). During CES, Nikon and GoPro announced their plans for consumer-grade 360-degree cameras.

Users can currently view these videos on Facebook and YouTube, but until recently, there weren’t many manufacturers creating affordable cameras to shoot the spherical content.

While it will likely be 2017 before these new, 360-degree cameras hit the market, we’re eager to see how brands and consumers adopt the technology.

Wearables for Every Member of the Household

Smart watches and fitness trackers took center stage during CES, but other wearable companies debuted and shared exciting updates, too:

  • Owlet recently released the wearable sock baby monitor that gives parents peace of mind. The smart sock tracks babies’ heart rate and measures how much oxygen is in their blood. Bluetooth technology shares the information to the parents’ smartphone in real time.
  • Sensoria, a line of smart fitness clothing, debuted smart athletic shirts and a sports bra during this year’s CES. The clothing line includes embedded sensors to improve running by tracking speed, pace, cadence, foot landing, distance and more.
  • WELT by Samsung looks like a standard belt, but it tracks physical movement and monitors eating habits. Made by Samsung’s Creative Lab, the WELT is still under development and currently unavailable for retail purchase.
  • WonderWoof and WonderMeow are bringing pets into the wearables game. These Bluetooth-enabled bowties for dogs and cats track pets’ steps, sleep and play activity.

CESPhoto credit: Owlet

Autonomous Automotives

During CES, automakers addressed self-driving cars, and more specifically, why they aren’t ready for widespread adoption. One of the reasons they shared: These autonomous cars have difficulty managing inclement weather and unexpected occurrences. The lack of consumer trust in autonomous cars is another hurdle for car manufacturers.

Nonetheless, Volvo announced that the first semi-autonomous car will be available for sale in the U.S. later this year.

We can’t wait to see how these trends take shape this year. What technology trends are you most excited to follow?

Featured image courtesy of Consumer Technology Association

Brand and Social Trend: Emoji Use on the Rise

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A recent survey conducted by Emogi (a real-time platform that decodes sentiment in online posts) found that 84 percent of women and 75 percent of men believe that emojis express their feelings more accurately than words. The survey also showed that not only are all generations using emojis, but they are using them often – 30.4 percent use emojis several times a day and 33.5 percent several times a week.

Brands are jumping in on the trend, too, and creating unique emojis for their social media campaigns!

share a coke emojiIn September, Twitter worked with Coke to create the #shareacoke emoji – its first paid brand emoji. This cute image with two Coke bottles automatically pops up when users tweet the hashtag #shareacoke. While Twitter has created the same emoji pop-up function for Star Wars and the MTV Video Music Awards, this is the first time it has been part of an ad deal.

Similarly, Dove Love Your Curls recently announced a partnership with Twitter that auto-generates a custom Dove curly-haired emoji every time #LoveYourCurls hashtag is tweeted. Dove also launched a free emoji keyboard with 27 curly hair designs and 131 variations of skin tones and hair colors. We have previously worked with the Dove Love Your Curls and love the message behind the campaign, which makes us particularly excited about these curly-haired emojis!

dove Love Your Curls emoji
Source: Mashable


Dominos is a key player among brands revolutionizing emoji use for consumers. They’ve introduced a way to let their registered customers order a pizza by tweeting #EASYORDER or the slice of pizza emoji (????) to @Dominos. 

Dennis Maloney, the company’s chief digital officer says, “This wasn’t just a marketing campaign, we’re creating an ordering platform.”

It will be interesting to watch how emojis become a more integrated part of brands’ social media campaigns and customer experiences in the future.

In fact, @theMotherhood recently tweeted its inaugural emojis during a Twitter party on behalf of LISTERINE last week that garnered nearly 4,000 tweets and 25 million impressions, triggering a $20,000 donation from LISTERINE to Oral Health America’s FALL FOR SMILES campaign! You can see a couple example tweets with those emojis here:

emoji emoji

Now, take a look at some of our team’s favorite and most-used emojis:

???? Purple heart + ???? Dog

Cooper: I sign all my texts to my kids with a purple heart. And the dog, because it kind of looks like our dog, Atticus!

???? Baby

Serena: I’ve been using the baby emoji almost daily lately since I’m expecting my first little one in April!

???? Party Popper

Erin: My most-used emoji is the one that looks like a noisemaker with confetti and streamers. I use it to show enthusiasm and support, or excitement for an upcoming celebration.

???? Grinning Face With Smiling Eyes + ???? Horse

Kahlianne: I definitely overuse the grinning smiling face, but I make the same face all the time when I read tweets/messages so it’s the perfect reply! And horses are involved in the majority of my conversations, so its only natural I use the horse emoji all the time.

???? Face With Tears of Joy

Brittnee: I love using the smiling/crying emoji because I feel like it replaces the “LOL” that so many of us became accustomed to using 15 years ago as a way of indicating a laugh and smile during conversations.

Brittney: I use this one frequently when texting family to tell them hilarious things my toddler says and does. At least half of those texts also include ???? to convey her sassy personality!

???? Thumbs Up Sign

Nicole: For me, the thumbs up emoji replaces “OK” and “sounds good” in so many texting conversations and when making plans with friends. I even use the thumbs up when I’m texting about something I love, like a new song that comes out or a meal I just tried.

???? Waving Hand Sign + ???? Face Throwing a Kiss

Kayla: I use the waving hand constantly to say hello or to show that I’m over a subject by saying ‘bye!’ to it! I also use the blowing a kiss emoji with my family and my best friends because they mean the world to me and I love them tons!

???? Sunflower

Sarah: Sunflowers are my favorite flower and seeing one always makes me smile! I like to use this emoji to brighten someone’s day!

What are your most-used emojis?