Facebook Terminating Partner Categories

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In wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has decided to terminate its “Partner Categories” program, which allows social media marketers to access data from third-party companies like Oracle and Acxiom. These third-party companies provide information about specific demographic and behavioral data, which many marketers use to target Facebook users.

This move is also in reaction to the General Data Protection Regulation law (GDPR). GDPR is a new European Union law that affords more digital privacy protections to EU citizens, whether they live in the EU or not. Facebook has promised to comply with the regulation.

The elimination of the “Partner Categories” program seems like a huge setback for marketers.

Many industries have relied on third-party data to find potential customers. Now, marketers will have to target their audiences a little more broadly, instead of as specific.

But, nevertheless, that doesn’t spell the end of the world for marketers. Facebook itself has access to users’ data, which social media marketers, brands, and businesses can still utilize to laser-target potential audiences. Additionally, Facebook owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, which are other avenues for data gathering. In comparison to print, radio, and television, Facebook has the ability to target more specifically.

Marketers might even consider moving parts of their budget to Google, which is currently still open to third-party data.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal raised privacy concerns for the average user, and Facebook is addressing the problems in various ways. It’s understandable that Facebook wants its users to trust its service and feel safe.

Marketers will need to come up with their own solutions to adapt with the changing times, continuing to find and engage the right audiences.

What does the Cambridge Analytica Scandal Mean for You and Your Business?

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Today, Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress about the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Understandably, this has raised concerns with businesses and brands about Facebook users’ privacy.

Cambridge Analytica collected data from a third party app that accessed Facebook data. The data analytics firm reportedly used the information during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

So, how should individuals and brands respond? Should they follow the #DeleteFacebook movement and nuke their social media presence?

Short answer: No! Panicking and immediately deleting isn’t the best option; keep calm.

Facebook remains a pivotal social network for both individuals and companies.

FOR USERS

Don’t be scared to use Facebook. There are several steps you can take to protect yourself.

One. Be cautious about third-party apps that have access to your Facebook account details like your friends’ list and profile information. You can remove unwanted apps by following the steps illustrated here.

When you’re installing an app, pay attention if it is requesting Facebook permissions. Read the app’s privacy policies and determine whether you’re willing to use it or not.

Two. Figure out what kind of information you’re comfortable sharing on Facebook and who you want to share it with. You can turn on privacy settings that allow only your friends to see your posts.  You can edit your profile to include or not to include information about your employment history or your email address.

Three. Take advantage of Facebook’s other privacy and ad settings. You can turn off location services so that Facebook and third-party apps can’t access your location. You can also go to the Ad Preferences Page and limit how advertisers target you based on the certain personal information. You can scrub your activity log.

FOR BUSINESSES AND BRANDS

For companies and entrepreneurs, Facebook remains an important cornerstone in your work.

One. Facebook is the most widely used social network. There are 2.13 billion monthly active users worldwide. American adults spend an average of 30 minutes on Facebook every day.

Countless businesses rely on Facebook to reach their customers – in fact, 93 percent of marketers use Facebook for advertising. It’s proved to be an effective way to communicate to a large audience so that businesses can thrive.

Two. Facebook is an effective tool that helps businesses find and laser target customers. Marketers have always relied on research and statistics to produce advertising content for their advertising strategies; Facebook is no different. Facebook allows marketers to define their audiences and craft messages using detailed settings.

Using Facebook’s data to target your customers with Ads is not the same thing as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The difference? The Cambridge Analytica situation has allegedly violated election laws and made numerous privacy violations without user’s consent.

Three. When it comes to the battle between traditional media and social media, the latter has advantages. Social media advertising is cheaper, interactive, and easy to measure.

CONCLUSION

Right now, as individual users, marketers, or business owners, Facebook one of the best communication channels that we have. Facebook is a major part of our lives, and it isn’t going away – at least not yet!

The New Facebook Algorithm 2018: What Does This Mean For My Business?

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Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it would be making changes to their algorithm. Facebook’s algorithm is always evolving and business owners and marketers need to understand how to evolve with these changes.

The algorithm is intended to prioritize posts from friends, family and groups, as opposed to businesses, media, and brands. The algorithm prioritizes “meaningful interaction” – if certain posts receive reactions or comments, they’re more likely to show up in your news feed.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

First of all, don’t panic! Here are some steps your brand can take to continue reaching your audiences.

One. Your business should keep on creating content that your audience cares about, whether it’s a link to a useful resource, a new product promotion, or a funny photo. Try to kick start conversations and get users interested enough to comment or react.

However, don’t fall into the trap of posting “engagement bait.” If you’re trying to get users to comment or like your post for a mundane reason – ‘Like this post if your favorite color is blue!’ – don’t! Facebook demotes “engagement bait,” since it knows that users are annoyed by those type of posts.

The lesson here is to (tastefully) encourage “meaningful interaction” from users, so your brand will have a presence on their news feeds.

Two. Your brand should use Facebook Groups to promote its business.

A Facebook group can attract the loyal fans of a brand and generate genuine discussion and content. A Facebook group can be dedicated to a topic relevant to brand, and the brand can serve as an expert.

We hope this quick article makes it a little easier to digest Facebook’s recent change. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to #KeenSocial!