Back in April, Facebook held their developer conference, where they discussed some major changes as well as the future of the platform.
The majority of the conference is super technical and honestly, doesn’t matter to horse blogs. However, some announcements stuck with me as an equine marketer. I looked at what all the Facebook experts were saying, read some blog posts by Facebook, and condensed everything down to bring you what applies to a horse business owner.
Four major changes are coming to Facebook and Instagram. Remember, Facebook owns Instagram so changes to one affect the other. These changes are security, shopping, messaging, and, groups.
Increased Security for Horse Blogs
And… everyone else who uses Facebook. I’ll be honest I just threw the horse blogs part in there for SEO purposes. Facebook is listening to the outcries from unhappy users who feel like their privacy has been violated. They understand that people want to be able to have private conversations.
They’re putting in a ton of security measures and encryption to make the messenger interface super secure. That’s good for us! We can talk to clients in messenger without it feeling like a privacy violation (imagine discussing SmartPak with a client in messenger and then all of a sudden seeing ads for SmartPak, CREEPY!)
More Shopping Options for Equestrians
Facebook marketplace is going to see some serious re-vamping that will cater more towards creatives. If you make tack, apparel, or other easily shippable goods for horse people, it’s time to pay attention. Facebook is introducing shipping to anywhere in the US for its Marketplace platform.
Think of Etsy or Amazon Handmade. Facebook is creating a way to keep your shoppers on their app so they can get that transaction fee instead of whatever platform you currently use. You will be able to list your products and charge for shipping on Facebook Marketplace (which is expanding to Instagram as well).
People will pay on the secure encrypted payment platform instead of having to mail cash or a check. You REALLY want to be one of the first people in your niche to jump on this. Keep an eye out.
Messaging So Equine Business Can Chat
It can be challenging to manage Instagram and Facebook messages. If you are like me, you are always caught up on one and behind on the other. The messenger platform is going to put all of your messages in one place.
A desktop version is coming out, so you don’t have to manage it all from your phone either. I am curious to see if we will be able to voice chat from our computers.
Emphasis on Facebook Groups
