Online content is everywhere, and marketers might wonder how their campaigns can possibly be impactful with all that noise and distraction on the web. Facebook’s new Paper app could be part of a solution, because the flipboard-style platform packages social content into digestible stories that beg to be read. Paper breaks the familiar Newsfeed format with horizontal navigation to swipe through and click posts from people, Pages and publishers displayed in a way that feels a little bit like Twitter Cards.
To get brand content onto the photo-rich app that encourages deeper digging, marketers first need to identify target audiences and give those members incentive to follow the company on Facebook.
This may not be as difficult as it once was. Brafton recently reported brands are rapidly earning more consumer followers. In Q4 of 2013, the number of people following brands on Twitter increased 20 percent. Chances are a similar trend is happening on Facebook as consumers warm up to the idea of interacting with companies online, or essentially, treating brands like people on social networks – and this means brands have to treat fans like people, not just sales opps.
There are myriad catalysts for this shift in perception, including social customer service and just plain better content. Companies are catching onto content marketing and learning the same old promotional approaches won’t appeal to internet users who have come to expect more from brand interactions.
People want information, but beyond that – they want experiences. Facebook’s Paper app can further bridge the gap between consumers and companies by facilitating a way to share content in an attractive and interactive way. Once brands establish themselves as reliable providers of striking images, entertaining blogs, trending topics, funny videos, etc., they will carve out audiences who purposely tune into their content across channels.
