Because it continues to lose floor to TikTok, the place persons are more and more spending their social media time, Fb is consistently attempting to determine new methods to maintain folks engaged, and glued to its app as a substitute.
The Social Community’s newest experiment on this entrance comes within the type of new Stories-like notification bubbles inside your Notifications tab, which warn you to new posts shared by your connections.
As you possibly can see on this instance, shared by social media professional Matt Navarra, some Fb customers on iOS at the moment are seeing these new alert bubbles on the prime of their Notifications stream, which function fast hyperlinks to the newest posts out of your connections.
As you possibly can see within the second picture, while you faucet by on considered one of these profile pictures, you’re taken to a list of that consumer’s newest posts, making it simpler to remain updated with that consumer’s updates particularly.
It could possibly be a great way to maximise engagement, and remind customers that their most essential connections are lively within the app, whereas it could additionally assist to keep away from potential algorithmic re-ordering points, which may see you miss sure updates.
Or it’d simply be a helpful technique to meet up with your prime buddies and what they’re posting – however on the similar time, it does really feel a little bit needy from the app, utilizing Tales-style notifiers to juice in-app engagement.
I imply, it does appear to have some sensible worth, in order that’s to say it’s ineffective. However as famous, with more moderen stats exhibiting that users are spending a lot more of their time on TikTok, Fb actually must work at offering some extra compelling causes to maintain folks round, versus them simply checking in every day and staying on prime of the newest massive information from family and friends (or simply making certain they don’t miss someone’s birthday).
That is the important thing aspect missed from Meta’s personal reporting – as Meta shared final week, Fb added 31 million more daily active users in Q1 2022, taking its complete DAU rely to 1.96b.
Which is nice information for Fb – particularly contemplating it reported a quarter-on-quarter decline in daily actives in its previous update. That announcement tanked Meta inventory, and whereas it is now seemingly again on observe, with the development graph pointing upwards as soon as once more for customers, the info that Meta hasn’t shared is how lengthy these persons are truly spending within the app.
Are they simply checking in, then shifting on to different platforms? As a result of if they’re, that enormously reduces the worth of Fb’s unmatched attain, as a result of if folks aren’t spending a lot time within the app, meaning much less ad publicity, and it may nicely be that TikTok, with fewer customers however probably extra time in app, is now a greater placement choice when it comes to attain and boosting model consciousness.
Meta hasn’t shared an official replace on time spent in its apps since 2016, when it reported that folks have been spending 50 minutes per day utilizing Fb, Instagram and Messenger.
The truth that Meta has chosen to not replace this determine would seem to recommend that it’s not growing, as it could be eager to tout that kind of data, whereas the period of time that folks spend on TikTok is clearly on the rise, normally, based mostly on complete downloads alone.
Which is why activations and exams like this are fascinating. Does this enhance time spent within the app, and get folks to stay round for longer, or is that this simply one other immediate to juice Fb’s numbers, and make it look like it’s producing extra ‘engagement’?
In some methods, the format additionally aligns with Meta’s push to boost appeal with younger users, with the Tales format now extra native to many than the standard feed.
However nonetheless, it’s extra simply tweaking across the edges, probably with no actual impression.
However possibly I’m mistaken – possibly this can be a precious, sensible device that can assist Fb customers keep in contact, and enhance utility within the app.
The brand new notification format is being examined with some customers, with no phrase on a full rollout plan as but.
