According to an exclusive report by Social Media Today, it looks like Facebook will release some new tools for their Stories feature. A reverse engineering expert has reported that link and mention stickers are being developed for Facebook Stories. Neither of these options have been released or officially announced yet, but it’s something we can look forward to soon.
This is good news for businesses that leverage social media because you’ll be able to add referral links once the new tool is available. As of now, Facebook allows only a select few to post links to Stories which was part of a beta test. As part of that test certain Facebook Pages that met the requirements were able to cross-post from Instagram Stories, and take part in Instagram’s ‘swipe up’ links. For now, those who are able to take advantage of swipe up links in Instagram Stories must have at least 10k followers, or a verified profile.
Although the use of Facebook stories is increasing, they haven’t been as popular as the company had hoped—not nearly as popular as they are on Instagram. By implementing these new features it will give brands a new way to post links to their Stories, which Facebook hopes will increase more interest in the Stories feature, as well as create a better way to drive direct traffic.
On the other hand, Facebook wants to make sure that Stories aren’t used as spam so it’s possible that if the link sticker is introduced, it will only be available to select users, just like how it works on Instagram. However, this is still unconfirmed by Facebook.
Facebook is also testing the mention sticker, which will allow you to tag other Facebook users in your Facebook Story just like on Instagram. By implementing the mention sticker you’ll have more ways to let your followers know about your Stories. Brands will be able to use the mention sticker to increase audience engagement.
These are exciting developments which are worth following in order to maximize your marketing strategy. At Barker Social, we’ll be watching further announcements closely.
