OVERVIEW AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR SOCIAL BRAND MARKETERS - FACEBOOK PAPER APP: Ryan Morris
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FACEBOOK PAPER APP: OVERVIEW AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR SOCIAL BRAND MARKETERS Ryan Morris Director Social Strategy and Content Programming LiveWorld @morrisryanc
SUMMARY
With the new Facebook Paper
app, you could say Facebook
is doing what LiveWorld has
been doing all along these past
19 years: Using the human
touch, scaled by technology.
Available February 3, 2014 on the Apple
iPhone solely, Paper is the latest mobile
social experience offering from Facebook.
According to Facebook, Paper is “a new
app that helps you explore and share stories
from friends and the world around you.”
In brief, Facebook is taking some of their
current product features (shareable news
and status updates) and repackaging
them, with a slight twist. The process
of repackaging is not new territory for in addition to the algorithm used to push
the social company, as they have taken content to user News Feeds, a human
other fully integrated features (such as curation team will also be responsible for
the ability to IM with others via Facebook) selecting content which will appear in the
and created a standalone app for mobile different content source categories users
devices (Facebook Messenger). However, can choose from.
To social marketers the immersive app
may cause concern as it does not currently
a human curation team support any type of paid advertising.
However, there is still a play for brands, as
will also be responsible posts can still show up in the News Feed of
Fans. The operative word here is can, since
for selecting content over the last several months Facebook has
throttled back visibility of organic brand
posts in Fan feeds.
THE FACEBOOK PAPER APP, EXPLAINED
Before delving into how brand marketer efforts are affected by the new app, a brief overview of Paper’s
capabilities is needed.
The Paper app is divided into two sections:
1 The first section is the Facebook News Feed, where users find stories from Friends and
sources they follow. The way users interact has changed (swipes in place of taps), but the
content is still the same, as are the abilities to Like, Share, and Comment.
2 The second section involves various content sources across 19 categories, including:
• Headlines: News content from typically larger • Planet: Content from news, blogs, and
media companies, such as the New York
Times, Daily Beast, and CNN individuals with an environmental focus
• Tech: Content regarding the latest technology • All City: Fashion, art, and culture with a
developments from large and smaller content younger, cosmopolitan emphasis
sources
• Well Lived: Currently trending fashion, travel,
• Enterprise: Business related content, including design, and art
feature stories, editorials, and trends
• Family Matters: Content related to parenting
• Pop Life: Content curated around pop culture and family life for mothers, fathers, and adult
children
• Score: Sports news and commentary from
journalists, fans, and athletes • Cute: As Facebook describes it, “Adorable
animals, cuddly babies, and all things awwww-
• Creators: Content from designers and artists some”
• Flavor: Recipes, reviews, and stories about • LOL: Videos, photos and written stories from
food comedians, individuals, and even major TV
networks/Movie Studios
• Exposure: Photos, stories, and interviews
from and about photographers • Glow: Fashion and style from major to
independent content producers, focused on
• Ideas: According to Facebook, “A daily in- the female audience
depth look at one standout idea, event or • Home: Design, decorating, DIY, and inspiration
personality” content for personal dwellings
• Pride: News, commentary, photos, and video
• Equalize: Content focused on women’s issues, with an LGBT focus
rights, and advancement
It should be noted that any of the 19 categories may offer content as brief as a status update from a single
individual. For example, the day after his Super Bowl XLVII win, Seattle Seahawk Malcolm Smith posted the
following status update, “I’m going to Disneyworld!! No literally, I am. #StillInShock.” This piece of content
appeared in the Score category shortly after Paper’s launch.WHAT THE PAPER APP MEANS FOR SOCIAL
MARKETERS
Facebook explains the way the Paper app organizes content as follows:
“Your Paper is made of stories and themed sections, so
you can follow your favorite interests. The first section
in Paper is your Facebook News Feed, where you’ll enjoy
inspiring new designs for photos, videos, and longer
written posts. You can customize Paper with a choice
of more than a dozen other sections about various
themes and topics—from photography and sports to
food, science and design. Each section includes a rich
mix of content from emerging voices and well-known
publications.”
Since Facebook has divided content into 19 otherwise may have gone overlooked has a
categories ranging from news to cute cat better chance of going viral on Facebook.
photos, brands will need to reinforce efforts However, with the human selection process
to produce even more engaging, relevant, now a part of the equation, there are no
entertaining, and newsworthy content the guarantees brand content (such as a blog
Facebook Algorithm ranks. However, marketers entry or engaging photo) may necessarily
won’t just be creating content that aims to get make it’s way into one of the 19 categories. It
a heavier ranking with the Facebook algorithm is probably safe to say it is even less likely—if,
to end up in user’s devices—they’ll also need at all—status updates from a brand will end up
to pique the interest of the human curator as in the one of the 19 categories.
well.
In order for brands to keep the interest of their
With the curation team hand-picking content Fans with status updates, it appears the user’s
that the Facebook Algorithm may not have News Feed section will be the sole place to
picked up on, new, unique content that engage via the app.IS THERE A BRAND RISK OF AUDIENCES
MIGRATING TO THE PAPER APP?
For brands in the retail, pharmaceutical, finance and other
non-news oriented industries, it will become more important
than ever for them to have a solid, well thought out blogging
strategy, as links to news and blogs appear to be the
best way to end up in one of the 19 topic categories. For
instance, if a home improvement brand wants to sell more
closet organizers, they should produce highly engaging,
unique blog entries with the aim of appealing to the Home
category audience. A tactic to promote the blog entries via
the traditional status update is still recommended as part of DOWNLOAD
their content plan. The blog entries themselves will need to THE FACEBOOK
stand apart from other entries that just explain the brand has PAPER APP
closet organizers to sell. For example, the brand may want to
consider using the topic of closet organizers as a backdrop
to a comedic video, which parodies the improvement of a
husband and wife relationship—all due to finding serenity
with the $45.00 product.
SUMMARY
Facebook will continue to highlight and connect the human experience for the foreseeable future.
Brands will need to continually focus on the human aspect of the content curating process and
Facebook algorithm changes. The Paper app is just the beginning of more human interaction as
Facebook evolves.ABOUT
LIVEWORLD
LiveWorld is a social content marketing company providing solutions to improve relationship marketing,
customer support, and market learning through engagement, moderation, and insight. We bring a
human touch scaled by technology that creates value out of user content and provides big cost savings.
By providing software and services, LiveWorld delivers a full range of social media solutions. Fortune
500 brands use our solutions to engage their clients in a way that’s social, personal, and direct, yet
affordable and sustainable on a large scale.
Our proprietary technology empowers people to moderate and respond to user comments, and to
analyze data in context with human intelligence and sensitivity. LiveWorld is a trusted partner of the
world’s largest brands, including the number-one companies in retail, CPG, pharmaceutical, and
financial/travel services.
For our clients, we develop strategy, create and publish content, engage customers, moderate content,
manage crises, and glean insight from social media.
LiveWorld is headquartered in California, with offices in New York City and San Jose.
Learn more at www.liveworld.com and @LiveWorld. Contact us at sales@liveworld.com
or call us at 800-301-9507.
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