Facebook’s new tools could make influencer marketing more expensive
With influencer marketing growing in popularity, Facebook is looking at ways to make a few bucks from those investing in it with the launch of new controls and capabilities to help manage influencer marketing campaigns. Brands can now boost posts from a creator’s Page when the influencer gives them permission to, and the targeted audience will see the post as originating from the influencer rather than the brand. While the changes are positioned as making influencer marketing easier, there are concerns from the industry that Facebook’s algorithm will suppress influencer posts if brands don’t boost them, therefore making influencer marketing a lot more expensive.
Facebook rolls out Marketplace in 17 European countries
Facebook’s Marketplace feature is rolling out in 17 European countries, including France, Germany and Spain. Marketplace, which originally launched in 2016, allows users to browse and buy items being sold by nearby users, as well as sell their own.
Facebook launches Colorful Balloons app in China
Facebook may have been banned in China since 2009, but that hasn’t stopped it trying to gain a foothold into the country and its population of 700 million internet users. The New York Times revealed that in May, Facebook launched a photo-sharing app called Colorful Balloons in China, which works with WeChat. Released through a local company and with no Facebook branding, Colorful Balloons is similar to the platform’s Moments app.
LinkedIn launches in-app video creation
LinkedIn is rolling out a video creation tool within its mobile app. It’s currently only available for frequent contributors, but the platform has confirmed that it will be available to everyone else soon. Before, users could attach videos saved in their photo library – now they can create their own video on the spot within the app itself.
U.N. uses Facebook filters to promote humanitarian message
The United Nations is using Facebook filters to show what it’s like to live in an area of conflict. Using Facebook Live, the U.N. encourages consumers to overlay a black and white filter with text that scrolls across the screen and tells the story of civilians in areas of conflict. There are 10 filters which appear for 19 seconds, each featuring real stories about children, medical workers, sexual violence and aid workers. The campaign has been supported on social by celebs such as Charlize Theron and Michael Douglas, and user-generated clips were displayed on digital billboards at an event in New York’s Times Square on the weekend.
