Facebook might be the dinosaur of the social media world, but it’s far from becoming extinct. In fact, with over 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains the most popular social media network — perhaps ever.
And if you’re looking to grow an engaged audience for your business, it can’t hurt to leverage Facebook’s latest trends to maximize your reach and engagement.
To help you out, we did the research and identified the 7 major Facebook trends that you need to capitalize on to make the most of your social media strategy in 2024 (and in the next few years).
- Meta launches Meta AI
- Facebook’s fullscreen video gets a makeover
- Increased emphasis on privacy and security
- Facebook now uses AI for enhanced ad targeting
- Metaverse showing signs of life?
- Meta Verification for businesses just rolled out
- Mark Zuckerberg sitting on an eCommerce goldmine?
- Final thoughts
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1. Meta launches Meta AI
Artificial Intelligence has been the talk of the town in Silicon Valley in 2024. With Amazon and Microsoft committing a combined $15 billion to competing generative AI startups, that’s hardly surprising.
You know what’s less surprising? Mark Zuckerberg cashing in on the AI revolution (or hype). In April 2024, Zuckerberg unveiled Meta AI, calling it “the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use.”
Meta AI is designed to enhance user experience across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. To access Meta AI on these platforms, simply type “@meta ai” within chat boxes or click on the blue circle on the search bar.
Similar to ChatGPT and Siri, Meta AI can answer queries such as where to find a specific restaurant, what ingredients to prepare for a specific dish, or which destinations to consider when planning a trip.
Meta AI uses real-time knowledge by leveraging search results from Google and Gemini, providing users with the most up-to-date information. You can even use Meta AI to generate images by typing “imagine.”
Action Plan:
I’m one of those folks who have reservations about AI use, particularly its ethical considerations. But as a content creator or marketer, you’d do well to look into the AI-powered chatbot’s potential in terms of how it can help you engage with audiences and streamline tasks.
2. Facebook’s fullscreen video gets a makeover
Facebook is doubling down on video in 2024 by getting a TikTok makeover. To capitalize on the popularity of short-form video, Mark Zuckerberg rolled out in April 2024 an upgraded full-screen video player that enhances the viewing experience for vertical videos.
With this new video player, Reels, Facebook Live, and long-form videos will automatically display in full-screen portrait mode. If you don’t like vertical videos, you still have the option to switch to full-screen for horizontal videos.
The video player also offers additional options that give users ownership over their viewing experience. It now offers a slider that lets you skip to different parts of the video. You’re also provided the option to pause, as well as rewind or fast forward by 10 seconds.
Action plan:
If you’re not already publishing videos on Facebook, now is the perfect time to start. Given how users spend half their time watching videos when they’re on Facebook and Instagram, it’s looking like video will only get bigger in the coming years. You’d better capitalize so you can enjoy the gains while video is on the uptick.
3. Increased emphasis on privacy and security
Over the years, Meta has faced significant criticism for its handling of user data and privacy. As you probably know already, that scrutiny reached a peak when the European Union fined Meta $1.3 billion for violating EU privacy laws.
In response, Meta has adopted a proactive approach to improving its platform’s privacy and security, as they should. One such initiative was the launch of its new and improved Privacy Center in 2022, which serves as a hub for managing and improving the company’s privacy and security controls.
But threat actors know no rest. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, companies entrusted with private and sensitive data must continue to beef up their security.
Recognizing this, Meta rolled out Advanced Protection in May 2024, a new security feature that adopts “stronger security protections by simplifying security features like two-factor authentication.” This new security measure was designed to enhance security for both individual accounts and Pages.
Action Plan:
As a brand looking to deliver personalized experiences to customers on social media while keeping their information secure, it’s crucial to stay updated on the latest security features.
Start by exploring Meta’s Privacy Center to understand and implement the available privacy tools.
To find out if you’re already eligible for the security feature, check out this guide on turning on Advanced Protection. If you’re not eligible yet (like me), don’t fret, as Meta continues to roll out the security feature to more users around the world.
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4. Facebook now uses AI for enhanced ad targeting
Facebook ads are worth it if done right. Yes, you can grow your audience on social media using organic marketing tactics, but if your brand needs quick wins, forking over some money to pay for ads can give you the head start you need to boost your following.
But Facebook advertising can be challenging. It’s hard to tell for sure if you’re targeting the right individuals. Not to mention the complex algorithms and changing user behaviors you need to account for to set up a winning Facebook ads campaign.
Makes you wish you had the computational abilities of a robot, right? Well, this is where Facebook’s newly launched AI-powered ad tools can help.
With Facebook’s Advantage+ campaigns, you can leverage AI and automation to help you:
- Reach the right audience (via Advantage+ Audience)
- Reach broader segments of your target audience (via Advantage Detailed Targeting)
- Reach relevant audiences based on your custom audience (via Advantage Custom Audience)
By optimizing your targeting capabilities, Advantage+ can help you maximize your efficiency and reach, which will, in turn, help you achieve a better return on ad spend, lower acquisition costs, and increase incremental purchases.
Action Plan: By all means, use Advantage+ to your, well, advantage when using Facebook advertising. But word of caution: don’t rely on AI alone.
If you want optimal results from Facebook’s AI-powered ad targeting tools, you also need to do your homework. That means you have to keep researching your target audience and creating content that resonates with them.
5. Metaverse showing signs of life?
If you think the metaverse is already dead, you have another thing coming. Yes, the hype around the metaverse has died down over the last couple of years.
With the tech sector putting all their investments into Artificial Intelligence, coupled with the downshifting of the VR market, it’s no wonder the buzz around the metaverse has waned.
It doesn’t help that Mark Zuckerberg’s pet metaverse project, Horizon Worlds, failed to attract many users. Even the best-selling VR headset, the Meta Quest 2, was a failure. People might be laughing at Zuck now for his “failure” to bring people together in virtual rooms and create metaverse communities.
But if you’ve been paying attention, chances are you wouldn’t count Zuck out yet. When the metaverse bubble popped a couple of years ago, it was because there wasn’t enough infrastructure to support metaverse initiatives. And just like with every hype cycle, investors and enthusiasts alike were compelled to prioritize growth over innovation.
But just like the dot-com bubble, the metaverse’s early struggles – like the lack of robust virtual ecosystems and viable business models – will lead to more practical applications in the future.
Because look, while all the talk these days is around AI, companies are creating communities in virtual spaces beneath our notice. Most importantly, Gen Zers are using these virtual spaces to seek community and companionship.
And here’s some irony for you: while we can blame the hype around AI for shifting the attention (and investments) away from the metaverse, AI itself is starting to find its place within virtual environments.
And with the growing popularity of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (which blows the bulky Apple Vision Pro out of the water) and full-body avatars, it’s looking like the metaverse is on its way to becoming a reality.
Don’t sleep on the metaverse, folks.
Action Plan:
The metaverse offers brands exciting ways to engage with their community. Yes, continue to grow an engaged community using the platforms you have now, but also consider exploring how virtual spaces like Horizon Worlds could complement your current engagement strategies.
Make sure to keep track of emerging technologies and leverage those that facilitate your engagement and community-building initiatives.
6. Meta Verification for businesses just rolled out
With consumer trust at an all-time low, you have to do the work to gain the trust of your audience. If you don’t turn your “trust signals” on, not many people will want to engage with your brand, much less buy your products and services.
Speaking of “trust signals,” Meta is rolling out Meta Verification for businesses in 2024. Businesses in select countries that meet eligibility requirements can finally get that blue badge on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Businesses need to meet the following requirements to sign up for Meta Verified:
- Be 18 years of age and above.
- Be located in a country where Meta Verified for businesses is available.
- Have full control of an existing business portfolio within Meta Business Suite.
- Have not exceeded the allowable number of changes to your business portfolio (e.g., modifications to portfolio name) within a specified time period before applying for verification.
- Have not violated Meta’s Terms of Service, Instagram Terms of Use, Facebook Terms of Service, Facebook Community Standards, and Instagram Community Guidelines.
Becoming Meta Verified also offers many perks that can further bolster your business’s authenticity and credibility. Once verified, businesses gain access to exclusive features like custom stickers for Stories and Reels and the ability to show support for other creators with 100 stars per month.
You’ll also be given the option to add images to your links, which could improve your click-through rate. And last but not least, that blue badge will certainly make your business profile on Facebook look good.
Action Plan:
Get moving and apply for that Meta Verified badge! If you’re not in one of those countries or don’t meet the criteria just yet, don’t worry. Meta continues to expand its verification program globally, so keep an eye out for updates (and watch this space!).
In the meantime, focus on building trust through other means like consistent branding, engaging content, and responsive customer service. That way, you’re building a strong foundation for when Meta Verification becomes accessible to your business.
7. Mark Zuckerberg sitting on an eCommerce goldmine?
Facebook is on its way to becoming an eCommerce giant. And that oncoming surge will be fueled by Facebook’s two eCommerce features: Facebook Shops and Marketplace.
Facebook Shops has been around since 2020. And just in time too, given the prominence of online selling during the lockdowns caused by the pandemic. Between January and March 2021, Facebook Shops reported around a million monthly global users and 250 million active stores worldwide.
With social commerce becoming increasingly popular, Facebook Shops has become a go-to platform for businesses to create online storefronts where they can showcase their products, connect with customers, and drive sales without leaving the app.
Since its launch in 2016, Facebook Marketplace has become a hub for buying and selling second-hand goods, new products, and even services. Its popularity is largely due to its user-friendly interface, which simplifies transactions. And yes, the overreliance on eCommerce brought on by the pandemic has made it even more popular.
Social commerce continues to thrive even post-pandemic, thanks to According to Statista, the social commerce penetration rate increased by 23.6% in 2023, and is expected to rise by 5% by 2028.
Action Plan:
With the popularity of social commerce showing no signs of slowing down, it would be a wise move for your brand to use Facebook Shops or Marketplace as part of your social media strategy.
This will help you leverage the vast audience that Facebook offers and capitalize on the social aspect of the platform to drive sales and engagement.
Final thoughts
Trends can help you stay ahead of the curve, but always remember that trends are still just that: trends. What’s trendy right now might not be so trendy next year, or tomorrow.. who knows?
If you want to achieve sustainable growth in your social media strategy, keep building authentic connections with your audience. And continue to deliver content packed with resonance and utility.
NapoleonCat’s Facebook management tools for businesses can help you pull that off by enabling you to manage your Facebook profiles and pages (and accounts across other platforms) in one convenient dashboard. With advanced analytics, scheduling capabilities, and audience management features, NapoleonCat puts you in a better position to grow your social media presence.
We highly recommend you test NapoleonCat for free – no credit card required 😉
Simplify Social Media
Management with One Tool
- Manage & reply to comments and DMs in one place.
- Monitor ad comments from multiple accounts.
- Automate answers to repetitive questions.
- Schedule posts to multiple accounts, on desktop.
- Analyze performance and monitor hashtags.
- Keep track of your competition.
- Create or schedule in-depth reports in seconds.
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