The new Facebook layout is here, along with some other changes that have plenty of us scratching our heads. We’ll break down the biggest changes and how they will impact you and your business. We want your business to get a head start on crushing your social media impact.

So, when will these changes take place? Some of these changes are already in effect, while some Facebook has slated for anywhere between late February and early summer of 2021.

Ok, now let’s explore four critical areas that may impact your business—the new layout changes, new advertising limits, the introduction of Business Suite and some privacy updates. There’s a good deal that businesses need to watch out for, yet there’s also plenty of room for opportunities.

Out with the old, forced into the new

By now, you have probably been forced to switch to the new Facebook. It’s inevitable, so at some point we all have to give in. That iconic blue navigation bar at the top is gone – in fact, most of the iconic Facebook blue is gone, too – and everything is streamlined to look cleaner with improved navigation options for a better user experience.

Features:

1. Cleaner, more minimalist design, with more white space
2. Dark mode meant to be easier on the eyes
3. The top banner is now white and has a bigger focus on newsfeed, messenger, notifications, watch (FB’s video feed), marketplace and groups
4. More emphasis on stories, which are now in the center of the pages in larger rectangles instead of smaller circles

The biggest impact to businesses is the change to business page cover photos. New cover photo sizes are rolling out, so it’s highly likely you will have to change yours. Facebook recommends 1640×856 pixels. There’s a new location of the profile photo also, so if you have a page where the profile photo and cover photo coordinate, you may have to make changes there, too. Facebook recommends 170×170 pixels for the profile photo.

Facebook Ad updates

Of all the recent changes, new advertising limits on individual pages cause the most alarm. We get it. No one wants to be “limited” on how often they can reach their ideal customers.

Yet, Facebook maintains that limiting the number of ads per individual page will decrease costs for businesses running those ads while getting optimal results. How is this possible? Glad you asked.

By now, the Facebook Pixel and AI functions are so advanced that they’re able to capitalize on what they’ve learned to-date to produce more efficiency. This means that you may be able get similar results with less ad budget.

Think about it this way—if you drive through the same town every day, it’s only a matter of time before you learn the various backroads and traffic patterns needed to drive more efficiently. Once you’ve got the lay of the land down, you know which routes to take that save time and money. The same is true for Facebook’s AI features, which now make it possible to spend less on ads.

So, who’s impacted and how? Let’s dive in:

• Did your page spend less than $100K in ad-spend during your highest month over the past 12 months? If so, you’re classified as a Small to Medium page and will be permitted to run 250 ads at a single time.
• Did you spend between $100K & $1M in ad spend during your highest month over the past 12 months? If so, you’re classified as a Medium to Large page and will be permitted to run 1,000 ads at a single time.
• Did you spend between $1M & $10M in ad-spend during your highest month over the past 12 months? If so, you’re classified as a Larger page & will be permitted to run 10,000 ads at a single time.
• Did you spend between $10M in ad-spend during your highest month over the past 12 months? If so, you’re classified as a “Largest” page & will be permitted to run 20,000 ads at a single time.
• 20,000 ads for “largest” Pages

Note: The ad limit applies to the max number of ads a page can have running or in review at the same time – meaning once you reach the limit, you can’t run more ads until the existing ones finish up. Here are some “best practices” for optimizing your campaign budget, straight from Facebook.

Good news: no need to fret, since most smaller business and entrepreneurs will fall into the “small to medium” category, allowing them to run up to 250 ads at one time – so it’s likely you won’t be affected at all. Your ad strategy should be in it for the long haul anyway, and if you need some ideas, check out our blog post. As a special bonus, we offer a free 15-minute consult to help you strategize! You can sign up here.

In other awesome news, marketers rejoice! The rule that ads must contain less than 20% text is toast! As of September 2020, this rule has been lifted, but Facebook still recommends following the rule for maximum effectiveness.

Kiss disjointed platforms goodbye with the new Business Suite

A welcomed feature in the new Facebook is the advent of Business Suite. This makes conducting your business activities within Facebook and Instagram much, much easier.

Facebook’s new Business Suite provides your business page with an easy-to-use control panel that links your Facebook & Instagram accounts! This consolidation of platforms is a huge step forward for any brand that’s longed for more coordination between IG & FB.

The even better news is that Facebook has already provided access to this dashboard for current business page owners, so now’s a great time to get familiar with this new change. However, please note that mobile users will need to manually opt-in to Business Suite in the Pages Manager App.

Here are some of the great features available to you in Business Suite:

• Draft, schedule, and post content to both IG & FB
• Manage your inbox for both IG & FB in one convenient place
• Check stats & key insights on a centralized dashboard

If all of this seems overwhelming, like you would rather stick a needle in your eye, sign up for a free consult here, we’ve got your back

New features give users more privacy & control

Users are now granted more control over their data and privacy settings. This also means new guidelines for businesses to help keep your potential customers’ data safe.

Remember, Facebook is a business, too. They have an obvious incentive to do right by their users, so if they want privacy protections, your business must comply with these rules. Facebook has the right to keep their digital environment how they (and their users) want it.

Here are some big changes to the user experience that will ultimately lead to changes for businesses like yours:

• Facebook is ready for iOS 14 & you should be, too. Users may now select their privacy settings right as they log in & sign up. This means no more hunting down the Settings rabbit hole to protect your privacy. We’ve even seen Facebook roll out privacy push notifications to users as well. This could impact the available data needed to target (and re-target) these people. Stay tuned.
• Data checkups are here! They track plenty of “anonymous” data and try to keep the site as transparent as possible. Facebook will now ask business pages registered on the platform to review the permissions they have access to with a “Date Use Checkup.” This shouldn’t be a huge issue for many, but keep an eye out for this so you are familiar with the latest policies. Click here to review this policy in-depth.
• More in-stream ad safety. In-stream ads are ads that users must watch while they wait for content they have chosen to watch. Don’t want your businesses ad running before a video featuring topics or subject matter potentially toxic for your brand? Facebook is now offering “topic exclusion” and “allow lists” to help shield brands from topics you wish to avoid, so your ads will only be shown before videos that are more brand-appropriate.

These are just a small collection of the changes coming up for how businesses use Facebook. Staying up-to-date on these changes will help you avoid missing opportunities to shine with customers. Things are changing, yes, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t build your brand & attract new business on Facebook. If you really want to learn more, you can read more about all these changes and more here.

What comes next?

Facebook’s high user rate has positioned it as a vital hub for brands seeking online growth. With billions of users worldwide and the opportunity to reach hyper-targeted audiences, this platform’s importance cannot be overstated.

It’s important to have a grasp on what procedures and protocols Facebook wants you to follow, as well as the new opportunities to maximize user engagement that also exist with the new Facebook.

We help businesses just like yours reach the customers who need them most. Our social media strategy is one of our strongest attributes. We know how to help you reach your goals, along with the customers who keep you running.

If you’re in the market for expert marketing services or have questions about how to stand out in a crowded digital world, book a FREE call with our CEO today.