The document discusses how a church's Facebook strategy should adapt to changes in Facebook's news feed. The key changes are that the news feed will now emphasize rich visual content like photos and videos over plain text. It provides 8 tips for churches, including publishing more visual content, identifying evangelists to share posts, making compelling content, and using features like check-ins. The overall message is that churches need to create more engaging visual content to be visible in the new visually-focused Facebook news feed.

1. HOW THE NEW
FACEBOOK NEWS FEED
AFFECTS YOUR CHURCH

2. introduction
On March 7, 2013, Facebook announced its first major update
to the news feed since the feature launched seven years ago.
The new look will be more visually-focused and based on
Facebook‘s research that shows almost 50% of news feed
postings are rich in visual content.
What does this mean for how your church or organization
shares content? We‘ll guide you through some of the changes
and leave you with takeaways to implement immediately.

3. a recap
On March 7, 2013, Facebook announced its first major update to the news feed
since the feature‘s launch seven years ago.
The new look will be more visually-focused, based on Facebook‘s research that
shows almost 50% of news feed content is visually rich. The less cluttered news
feed is more organized and will feel very much like a newspaper with feeds you can
customize.
The three biggest updates are:
 Richer, visually engaging stories,
 Choice of feeds, and
 Same look and features on mobile and web platforms.

4. 8 takeaways to align your
strategy with the new news feed
As we walk you through the highlights of the
new Facebook news feed, it becomes clear
that creating rich media content is one way to
assure your posts will be seen and shared.
So what are the takeaways for your church?
Here are our top eight!

5. Tip 1: publish [more] visual content
The new Facebook news feed highlights visual
content, such as video and photos. Take advantage of
this opportunity to increase interest and attractiveness.
Begin creating more visually compelling content. Think
about upcoming posts and story ideas and what
images, infographics or video could accompany them.

6. visually engaging stories
―Seeing comes before words,‖ says media theorist John Berger (Ways of
Seeing, Penguin Books, 1972). Capitalizing on this, Facebook has made
visuals much larger, allowing more focus on a particular post, as seen in
the screen shot below. What will your church or organization do to
maximize this new feature?

7. visually engaging stories
It‘s not only individual multimedia posts that will appear dramatically
larger. Now, when a user posts content, the cover photo appears much
larger and wider. Additionally, it displays thumbnails of those who also
like your page. This makes it vital for your organization‘s cover and
profile photos to communicate who you are. In one glance, what can a
user learn about your community just by seeing your cover and
profile images?

8. visually engaging stories
In the new Facebook news feed, videos also get a facelift. The screenshot
of the video post is, again, much larger. Faces of the people who like your
page are displayed to the left of or below the video or photo posts. How
will your organization use all of this new real estate for rich,
engaging content? Perhaps you should start thinking about
incorporating more video posts!

9. Tip 2: don’t forget to tell them
Because photos and video will now be the primary
storytellers in your posts, you may want to reconsider
the length of the copy [text]. Sometimes it‘s appropriate
to include a major part of the article in the post, along
with a link to read more. Other times, you may decide
to do an overlay of text on the photo instead of posting
several lines of text.
However you decide to execute this, keep in mind that
rich media will be the primary way that people engage.

10. your feeds, your choice
The second big change is the ability to choose what feeds of information
you‘d like to view. Since users follow a variety of people and pages, from
family and friends to favorite TV shows, personalities and news outlets, it‘s
important to give users control over what updates they see.

11. news feed types
news feed
all friends
most recent
close friends
music
photos
games
following

12. getting seen on news feeds
So how do you get your updates seen on Facebook? It‘s based
on EdgeRank, Facebook‘s news feed algorithm, which includes
these elements: AFFINITY, WEIGHT and TIME DECAY.
AFFINITY: the score between the viewer and the edge creator.
WEIGHT: how much action and commenting a post receives. In
other words, the more a post gets a ―like,‖ comment or tag, the
more weight it receives.
TIME DECAY: how long ago content was posted. The longer it‘s
been up, the less value it has.

13. rich media = more shares
250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook
every day (source: Jeff Bullas). Hub Spot’s
research team discovered that photos on
Facebook pages received 53% more “Likes”
than the average post.
Want your posts to be shared and liked?
Include: text, a link and a photo.

14. Tip 3: find the evangelists
Because the new Facebook news feed allows users to
choose to look at content posted only from friends, it‘s wise
to identify and focus on your evangelists — those who help
you share the stories of your community.
If someone likes or follows your page and shares your
content, their friends will be able to see. What are your
most shared posts? How do your fans engage with your
content? Continue doing what you‘re doing well and your
evangelists will help spread your stories far and wide.

15. Tip 4: make it compelling
Because of the way Facebook shares top-
featured content, it‘s a good idea to use
Facebook to promote your more public-facing
content, like your blog or website.
Common elements found in viral media include
humor, trending topics, provocative content,
surprise and irony. What will make your posts
stand out?

16. rich media = more shares
We mentioned earlier that a photos-only feed will now be an option for users. As
you can see in the screenshot from the demo below, the albums and individual
photos displayed can help your church be even more compelling in sharing your
message.
You now have the task of dedicating time and resources to creating compelling
visual content for your Facebook users – or risk being unseen.

17. Tip 5: please reply
An updated commenting system aimed
at improving conversations has started
rolling out. Some page admins now can
enable this feature on their pages
making it easier for administrators and
page fans to interact. Conversation
threads will be re-ordered for relevance
to viewers as based on positive
feedback, connections and negative
feedback.

18. Tip 6: don’t forget to ask
While the number of likes on your Facebook page may not be
as important as the engagement that occurs there, getting a
new ‗like‘ on your page does increase your visibility and the
reach of your page to friends of fans.
When someone likes your page, a new story is created in the
news feed that shows your page‘s Facebook cover, along with
thumbnails of people who like your page.
Don‘t forget to encourage people to ―Like‖ and share your page
and keep your cover photo looking fresh and inviting.

19. Tip 7: Facebook + Pinterest = win
A survey showed that 98% of Pinterest users said
they also have a Facebook and/or Twitter account.
Pinterest has recently given their pins a new look,
displaying bigger images. How will you capitalize
on this new appearance and integrate this in your
Facebook posts?

20. Tip 8: have you checked-in?
Location-based services are gaining popularity in the
social world. Google+ has integrated Google places.
Instagram uses FourSquare for location-based posts.
Facebook has made it easy for your church to be more
visible as people check-in to your location. Are you
reminding people to check in when they‘re in the building
for an event?

21. consistency across devices
Lastly, Facebook has gifted us with the same look and feel
across any device we use. Whether on mobile, tablet or web,
we‘ll be able to have the same user experience and side bar
navigation.

22. conclusion
The tips we‘ve offered here are just the beginning of a new way
of interacting with your audience through Facebook.
As you continue building your strategy and learning more about
your current and potential audience, keep planning ahead and
check back with MyCom for more updates and tools.
In the meantime, don‘t forget that compelling visual content will
help you be more visible and viral in this new Facebook
landscape. Start planning now!

23. stay connected with MyCom
Keep up with the latest updates on tech,
web, social media and tools for ministry
in a digital age:
umcom.org/mycom