Intel puts content in Facebook’s safe
Over a year ago we – and many others – wrote about Facebook’s launch of Facebook Instant. Now Intel has become the first company to publish content on the platform.
On the surface, Instant is an offer of Facebook’s superior technology to publishers. To vastly simplify the benefits, it provides faster mobile loading times while giving publishers the ability to sell and make money from advertising. The drawbacks? Well, none apart from the fact that your valuable content is in someone else’s safe.
Intel is running content from its iQ magazine/site on the service. Speaking to Digiday, Intel vice president of digital marketing and media Becky Brown said: “We aspire to be a true publisher and not just act like one. This is a wonderful move to signal we’re not just an advertiser; we have content that’s relevant to the conversation, to cultural movements, to things that are on people’s minds.”
OK, the quote does read like it’s come from a press-release writing machine. But it shows how tech brands are ahead of the curve when it comes to thinking about themselves as publishers. Others should look and learn.
But is Instant worth the hassle? Social sharing platform Hootsuite has just published some results following its own use of the system. And, to be fair to Facebook, it is quite impressive.
Using the service to share via a WordPress plugin it had installed, it found:
- 37 per cent increase in reach
- 22 per cent increase in shares
- 83 per cent increase in Likes
- 57 per cent increase in link clicks
Other benefits included an increased likelihood the content would be read thanks to low load times. These are often forgotten unless you’re looking at SEO, but on mobile they are crucial. Let’s assume other brands will be using Facebook Instant soon.
It may well be that Content24 reaches for that plugin before long. Show us the way to M Zuckerberg’s safe.
Intel puts content in Facebook’s safe is part of Content24, the blog for London content marketing agency FirstWord.