It’s true, Facebook announced earlier this month that they’re launching a radical news feed redesign! Here are the changes you can expect to see soon:
[unordered_list style=”green-dot”]- Rich Visual Stories
- Choice of News Feeds
- Mobile Inspired Consistency
Currently, the News Feed takes up 40% of page real estate. The rest of the page is jam packed with busy navigation menus, notifications, sponsored ads, recommendations and much more. The content you share easily gets lost in all of the visual noise.
Goodbye clutter. Hello bright beautiful stories. This is what the new Facebook News Feed will look like:
As you can see, the News Feed completely dominates the page with large, eye-catching visuals (similar to Google+) and the left navigation is represented by app icons similar to mobile devices. The right sidebar still contains recommendations and ads, but it’s cleaned up, and again, more visual. You will also notice that Graph Search is implemented in this example which is another big change Facebook is rolling out.
Not only will individual posts be larger, but they’re getting a snazzy new redesign! Notice how the image posted by Alicia Keys has white overlay text rather than a snippet of standard text above the image? The reasoning behind the News Feed redesign was to draw more attention to media than standard text.
That’s a huge advantage for restaurants! Imagine all the delicious food photography you can post to captivate fans. #foodporn.
In less than 2 years photos have come to dominate News Feed content. Over 50% of all content on Facebook is visual and the number is growing. This means that users and businesses must pay better attention to what they’re posting, and jump on the visual bang wagon. Facebook posting habits must grow accustomed to the News Feed changes in order to hold onto fans.
Aritcle & Blog Post Links Will Also Change
Currently posts have a small image thumbnail, article title, a short description, and space for users to comment on why they shared the post. The new design offers the same information, but the image is much bigger, the title and descriptions offer more of a newspaper feel and the publication’s logo is printed in the bottom right corner of the post.
So, next time you write a blog article do us all a favor and incorporate crisp, relevant images and a catchy article description to entice users to click and engage.
When Someone Adds a Friend or Likes a Page You Will See Something Completely Different Too
The new presentation of the News Feed post when someone likes your page will look bright and alluring. Not only will your profile picture be highlighted but your cover photo and a like button will be displayed. This new design will give users a much better feel for your business, and a large call-to-action button to like your page. Again, what a great opportunity for restaurants to make a lasting impression.
Make sure your cover photo and logo have appealing high-quality images that tell a story about your brand and cuisine. Don’t let users think twice about clicking “Like”.
Facebook Check-Ins are Getting Revamped Too
This new layout should help drive more customers to your door! This version is similar to Facebook’s current mobile app that allows check-ins, including maps with images that will pop-up for all check-ins.
Is all of your location data up to date? If not, it’s time to jump on it!
In a nutshell, Facebook is making visual posts the bread and butter of the News Feed. Now is the perfect time to spice up your profile with bright, striking images and include pictures in your posts whenever possible. If you start making these changes now, you will be ready when the News Feed redesign goes into effect.
Pictures courtesy of Facebook.