Wow, a busy week for Facebook – here’s a roundup of recent Facebook updates and changes you may want to know about:

1. Facebook Cover Videos – this feature has now been rolled out to all business pages globally via desktop only. Take a look at my example cover video with lots of great video ideas in the comments, too!
2. Facebook GIF Creator – the camera on your Facebook mobile app now has a built-in GIF creator. Have you tried it? First spotted by Matt Navarra, Director of Social for The Next Web. Here’s a fun kitty cat example GIF on The Verge.
3. Stream Live In VR – do you own a VR headset? You can now stream live from Facebook Spaces in VR. Viewers see and interact with you normally. But as the broadcaster, you can do cool stuff like take your viewers on virtual journeys with you and hold up their comments as 3D banners. Slate even launched the first VR talk show.
4. Facebook Ads in Marketplace + Ads in Messenger – as Facebook stated on one of the earnings calls last year, the company is ‘running out’ of ad inventory. This explains the surge in ads popping up in a variety of new places, and the constant tweaks on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and video/live in order to create more opportunities for advertisers to reach their right audiences.
5. Facebook Autoplay Videos with Sound – the company announced back in February this year that it was testing autoplay videos with sound on. Now, it seems the feature is rolling out to more users. Hm!
6. Link Preview Customization – as of midnight PST last night (July 18th), it is no longer possible to edit the title, description and image of links shared on Facebook. This change is an effort to minimize fake news and affects most all pages. However, some publishers may find they still have the ability to customize link posts through September 18th, 2017. And, Facebook just rolled out a new feature for some pages to publishers to indicate link ownership and continue editing how their own links appear on Facebook.

Facebook Updates – Embedded Posts

This Week’s Top 3 Articles

1. 10 Facebook Ad Examples – How to Create Effective Ads via FitSmallBusiness.com

There are many ways to create effective Facebook ads. What works for your business will depend on your audience and goals. To get ideas, it can be very helpful to see what other companies have done. Some choose to speak to their target audience, others create short videos, write catchy headlines or instill a sense of urgency. Check out these examples for inspiration.

2. 32 Brilliant Email Marketing Examples to Inspire You via Sumo.com

More inspiration! But this time for your email campaigns. This post has beautiful examples of calls-to-action, welcome series, personalization and more. Bookmark it so you can go back to it when your creativity needs a boost.

3. How to Build Your Business Like Facebook via Inc.com

Ever wish you could grow your business like Facebook? There are four core principles that have been the foundation for its success. Check out this article by my friend Dave Kerpen who summarizes the powerful principles as described in Mike Hoefflinger’s new book, BECOMING FACEBOOK: The 10 Challenges That Defined the Company That’s Disrupting the World. As a computer engineer turned marketing innovator who worked with Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, Hoefflinger had a front-row seat to the company’s growing pains, stumbles, and reinventions.

Free Marketing Videos! 

My friends at Unbounce (landing page creation software) recently held their 2-day Call To Action conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I was thrilled to be one of the keynote speakers, and now Unbounce has generously published VIDEOS of all the top speaker sessions on a free web page. Help yourself and enjoy! Catch my session here: Winning Facebook Advertising Strategies: 5 Powerful Ways To Leverage Your Results & ROI

That’s a wrap for this issue of The Social Scoop. I hope you have an amazing rest of your week and I look forward to connecting again very soon.

From my brand new photo shoot! 🙂 I was delighted to get almost four years’ use out of my last professional photo shoot by the same photographer… and now I’m thrilled to update with my new shorter haircut, hehee! 😉

Mari Smith

Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is widely known as the Premier Facebook Marketing Expert and a top Social Media Thought Leader. Forbes describes Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.” IBM named Mari as one of seven women that are shaping digital marketing. Mari is an in-demand keynote speaker, corporate social media strategist, dynamic live webcast host, and popular brand ambassador. She is coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, and author of The New Relationship Marketing.

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