New ad unit alert! As a user, we’ve had enough of ads cluttering our Facebook News Feeds. Now we’ve gotten a first look at a new type of ad block coming to the social network called “Suggested Page.”
Comparing the “Suggested Page” ad unit with “Suggested Post,” there really isn’t much that differentiates the two aside from the amount of space it takes up in your newsfeed and the type of content that the ads promote. All the basics of a Suggested Post exist in Suggested Page. There’s an inline “Like” button, accompanied by the number of likes the page has amassed and a tag labeled “Sponsored.” The two column box reminds us of the framework in the articles that show up from publishers that you’re following.
Just to recap what Suggested Post does, advertisers will pay Facebook to promote their content to users across the social network – people who see these posts aren’t necessarily following the advertiser’s Facebook page and since the Suggested Posts are native advertising units, they appear in its users’ News Feeds. In the same manner, considering that I’ve never “Liked” the University of Management and Technology, it’s safe to say that these Suggested Pages target demographics that advertisers have cherry-picked.
Facebook is hell-bent on finding new revenue generating opportunities and testing new advertising units to find what sticks. It’s hard to blame the company: Post-IPO, it’s incredibly crucial Facebook prove itself as a profit-friendly platform, as it’s come under heavy scrutiny. Take the recent Sponsored Stories lawsuit and $20 million judgment, and Wall Street’s disappointment over Graph Search.
We’ve reached out to Facebook to find out more about Suggested Pages and we’ll update this post with any response.
Update: A Facebook spokesperson has responded, telling us that Facebook is “currently testing this feature but have nothing further to share at this time.”
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