Facebook News & Updates (January 2019)

Facebook Updates

What’s new on Facebook and its owned Apps: Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp? Let’s take a look at some of the top news articles, announcements, and updates from these platforms in January so you can use this information in your social media strategy.

Helpful resources included in this post cover the following topics:

Facebook:

  1. Admins of Facebook Groups can no longer automatically add people to the Group
  2. A new feature called “Page Quality” is added to Facebook business pages for more transparency and accountability
  3. Facebook launches a new podcast: Three and a Half Degrees
  4. Facebook for Business shares all changes made to advertising over the past year and launches a new Privacy and Data Hub
  5. Facebook’s Quarter 4 Earnings Report is released
  6. Facebook announces a plan to integrate all of its messaging platforms for cross-communication

Instagram:

  1. You can now post to multiple accounts at once
  2. Videos can now be scheduled directly to Instagram
  3. Instagram Stories are now being used by 500 million people

Facebook Resources for further reading: (click on each title to see article)

1. Facebook Updates Group Invites, Removing Ability to Automatically Add Members

This is good news for users who were tired of being added to Groups without permission.

2. Facebook Adds New ‘Page Quality’ Information as Part of Measures to Stop Misuse

More resources on changes to Pages:

https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/01/making-pages-more-transparent/

What’s New with Pages? 

3. Introducing Three and a Half Degrees: A Podcast for Business Stories in the Age of Connectivity 

This new podcast shares success stories and tips for businesses using Facebook.

4. Changes We Made to Ads in 2018 

In addition to changes to Ads / Ads Manager, check out the new Privacy Hub for helpful resources: Facebook Launches New Privacy and Data Hub to Help Businesses Understand its Policies  

5. 10 things to know about Facebook’s Q4

A good summary of Facebook’s quarter 4 results, with an emphasis on Stories.

6. Facebook’s Planning to Integrate its Messaging Platforms to Simplify Cross-Communication 

This is a big announcement for businesses and marketers, as the integration of Facebook’s messaging platforms may open up more opportunities to connect with your target audience. If you haven’t spent time using any of these messaging platforms for business, now is the time to do it.

Also, for another summary of updates, check out this resource from Facebook: “January Highlights in Facebook Business News” 

Instagram Resources for further reading: (click on each title to see article)

1. Instagram Will Now Let You Post to Multiple Accounts at Once Within its Composer 

This update is helpful if you’re running several accounts for one business.

2. Businesses Can Now Directly Schedule Videos to Instagram 

A big update for business accounts: use a 3rd party tool like Buffer or Hootsuite and schedule your videos.

3. Instagram Stories is Now Being Used by 500 Million People Daily 

One of the biggest parts of Facebook’s quarter 4 report is that Instagram Stories has grown to 500 million daily users!

Facebook and Instagram News January 2019

That’s it for January updates! If you have questions about any of the topics shared here or want to learn more about Facebook and Instagram marketing, let us know!

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About Terry League

Terry helps small business owners with social media strategy, training and account management. With a background in marketing and training, she enjoys combining those two areas to teach business owners how to get the most out of their social media marketing. Connect with Terry on Twitter and Instagram @TerryLeague for more on social media with a mix of positive motivation and inspiration.