Sometimes, social media platforms’ algorithms present wonderful opportunities for marketers. Other times, they create challenges. The need for native content is a bit of both. Facebook, among other platforms, realized that they are better off when users stay inside their walls. They want people to stay on Facebook as long and often as possible. That’s why native content has become so important and given priority. How can marketers jump on board? Here are the three main ways to take advantage of native content benefits:
Auto-Play. One of the most significant ways for a company to reap the rewards of native content is video. If you upload original videos to Facebook itself as opposed to linking it from YouTube, your content will be featured in their auto-play stream. When mobile Facebook users watch one video, it starts a constant stream instantly playing videos that are on their feed. If your video has been uploaded to Facebook, it’s a part of your followers’ streams, raising your chances of views and engagement. That’s the whole point of the game!
Instant Articles. Recently, Facebook unrolled Instant Articles in their armory of mobile-exclusive benefits. This service also caters to the native content system because writers will publish a whole article on Facebook instead of sharing it through links. Blogs, rants, articles, and long forms appear quicker and, thanks to Facebook’s equations, more prominently on news feeds. Because the article will actually live on the social media giant as opposed to a blog or website, there are several benefits.
Images. When creating an update, you should always upload an image that you have created. Additionally, if you are sharing a web page, you may want to consider “killing the preview” and uploading relevant imagery to Facebook itself.
Now, obviously, sometimes this is impossible. You can’t copy someone else’s news article and share it via Instant Articles, nor can you upload parts of your website and showcase them. Native content can, and should, only go so far. For this reason, a company’s social media schedule should have a hearty mix of native and curated content. Keep in mind that while creating original work and uploading it onto your social media site of choice will take longer than simply sharing a link, these updates will give your accounts hefty spikes in views and engagement opportunities. Additionally, boosting native content with advertising will skyrocket that post to new heights.
How do you use native content? Share below!
