The New Facebook – Mid-2020 Updates You Should Not Miss
Have you noticed something different when you browse your Facebook account? Well, that’s because Facebook has been rolling out some changes this 2020. They might not be that noticeable on mobile, but when you use Facebook on desktop, you’ll see a big shift on how it looks and functions.
If you are a page manager, this is how the old Facebook Page dashboard looks like:
And here is how the new Facebook dashboard for business page:
The new Facebook looks really nice and it offers a lot of functionalities. (And we will be discussing more of that in this post).
If you are more comfortable with the classic look, you may temporarily switch back. But the classic Facebook look will only be available until September. So might as well use the new look so you can get used to it easily.
So let’s break down what is with the new Facebook look.
Manage Page
If you are an admin of a Facebook page, you will notice a Manage Page dashboard on the left side of your account. This Manage Page dashboard allows you to do some changes and updates on your page.
Under the Manage Page dashboard you have:
- Home
- Ad Center
- Inbox
- Resources and Tools
- Manage Jobs
- Notifications
- Insights
- Publishing Tools
- Page Quality
- Edit Page Info
- Settings
Home
The Home tab will show you the general things you need to know about your Page. Here, you can directly edit cover photo/video, profile photo, and call-to-action (CTA) button. And if you are managing it using your personal account, you can also do other actions such as Like, Share, Follow, or Invite others to like and follow the page.
This is also the tab where you can create posts.
This tab also includes Insights reports, About, Photos, Videos, and Page Transparency. The classic Facebook also has these, but in this new look, the items are more organized and it looks really neat.
Ad Center
Under the Ad Center tab, you’ll see information and data about your Facebook Ads. It has Summary of all the ads you did for the last 7 to 90 days. It also shows the recent ads you are currently running. There is also a button to Create Ad. Tools and Tips to help you with your Facebook advertising plan.
This Ad Center is just a summary of your Ad Account. It is still different from Facebook ads manager dashboard, which looks like this.
Now, if you don’t have active or have not tried Facebook ads, this page will be empty.
The Ad Center tab has two sub-tabs which is “All Ads and Audiences”.
Under the All Ads Tab, it will show everything about all the ads that you’ve run as well as the insights from those ads. You can also create a new ad or campaign here.
On the Audiences Tab, it will show all the custom audiences you created or the demographics that you defined. Under the audience tab, you can edit your audience to fit your target or advertising goals. You can also create a new custom audience here.
Inbox
The Inbox section of Facebook has also undergone really amazing changes. So under the Inbox Tab, you’ll see all your Page messages not only on Messenger but also on Instagram. Aside from private messages, you can also see the comments made of other people on your Facebook and Instagram page.
This is really great as you don’t have to go to Instagram to check your messages. You can do that while managing your Facebook page.
Another amazing update that you can find here on the Inbox tab is the Automated Responses. So with Automated Responses, you can manage and control what you would like to say when someone sent you a message. You can also set a message if you are offline and can’t reply right away. You can also set the timing of these canned messages.
Aside from that, you can also enable some actions that you wanted to be notified with such as Job Application Received, Appointment Reminders, Appointment Follow-up, Page Recommended, etc. The notification will go to your Inbox.
Resources & Tools
The Resources tab is very new. The classic Facebook does not have this one. So basically under this tab, you’ll find different tips and resources on how to manage your page within Facebook. It will recommend you to stay connected with your customers by doing some activities you’ve not yet done on your page, like joining groups or starting a live video.
And since everyone is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also has a COVID-19 information center that provides updates about the virus to keep you and your customers safe.
Aside from that, there are also quick links on some of the best practices on how to stay in touch with your customers, bring your business online, prepare a customer service plan, and more.
This Resources tab is a really good addition on the new Facebook as it will help you on how you can effectively manage your page and interact with your customers.
Manage Jobs
In the new Facebook, the manage jobs function is still available but with more functionalities. So if you’ve posted a job announcement on Facebook via your Page, you can find it here. This tab will list all the active, paused and closed jobs under your page.
The Manage Job page has a sub-section “Application”. In here you will find all the applications your page received while you run a job post.
This section is really cool. Because you can do a lot of things like assess the applicant, download its resume, contact the applicant, and more.
Recruiters will find this new update on Job Posting on Facebook really handy and useful.
Notifications
From the name itself, this tab is all about the actions being made in your pages. There is nothing much interesting in this Tab. You can actually check your notifications on the upper right corner of your account with the bell button. So if it was us, I think this is no longer needed. Unless of course, you want to check all the notifications from previous days, weeks, or even months, then this one is pretty handy.
Insights
For us in Digital Strategists, Insights is one of our favorite Facebook tools as it gives us valuable information on how our Page is doing. So we are really excited to see some changes in this section. However, the Insights Tab is basically the same as it was on the classic Facebook.
But perhaps, Facebook is still in the process of updating this part. So we better watch out.
Publishing Tools
The Publishing Tools Tab is basically the same as the old Facebook. And just like the Insights page, perhaps, Facebook is still cooking something to make this really amazing. So we better watch out.
But one thing you can’t ignore in this section is the Creator Studio, which is one of our Favorites among all these updates, so far.
Creator Studio
Creator Studio is an amazing tool that makes the life of all page managers and content creators easier. There are a lot of things that you can do there. You can create content not only on Facebook but also on Instagram.
Aside from that, you are not limited to creating and scheduling posts, you can also create and schedule Stories, Videos, Multiple Videos, Go Live, and Post Videos Across Pages.
There is also an Insights Tab to know how well your content performs.
These are just some of the things that you will find under Creator Studio. We still have a lot to talk about it. So you better watch out for our next blog and how this can help your business grow.
Page Quality
Another thing that is new to Facebook is the Page Quality Tab. The Page Quality Tab provides information about how compliant your page is to Facebook’s policy. This tab is used to filter out fake and troll accounts.
Also, if your Page Quality is good, Facebook will always recommend your page and content on relevant searches within the platform.
Edit Page Info
Under this tab, you can edit the information about your Page. One of the best practices in optimizing your Facebook page is by completing all your information in this section. Make sure you provide accurate information on relevant fields.
Another addition in this section that is not available on the old Facebook is the option to link other social media accounts. In this new update, you can add other social media pages that you have and it will appear on your Home page.
Settings
Under the Settings Tab, you’ll see a lot of options on how to manage and edit your page. Under the General tab, it is the same general settings tab in the old Facebook. Messaging is how you want your messages to look which you can already do under the Inbox Tab.
But what’s really interesting here is the Templates and Tabs. This is a new feature of the new Facebook. In here, you can select what template you would like your page to have. The templates available are Services, Business, Venues, Nonprofit, Politicians, Public Figures, Restaurants & Cafe, Shopping, Video page, and Standard.
Since Digital Strategists is a service-centered page, Facebook automatically used the Service template.
This Template feature is really cool in branding different types of pages.
Another thing you can find on the Templates and Tabs, is the Tabs option that allows you to control what tab appears in your page.
So there’s still a lot to explore on the Settings Tab that can help you manage your Page effectively. But some of these are just duplications of the other options found under the Manage page dashboard. And Facebook is still in the process of improving some of the stuff here. So again we better watch out for that.
Wrap Up on the New Facebook
The new Facebook offers really exciting updates that completely changed how you manage pages. Some of the changes allow you to effectively manage, create, schedule and cross-promote content not just on Facebook, but also on Instagram. You are not also limited to creating and scheduling regular posts, but with the new Facebook, you can do video, Go Live and schedule multiple videos.
Another amazing update is the Templates and Tab section where you can choose a layout that is more appropriate to your brand or business.
Moreover, it is now easier to control messages and automated messages with the new Facebook.
There is also a resources and tools section for tips and best practices on how to effectively manage and promote your page.
On the other hand, you can notice that there are some features that are the same in the other sections.
So all in all, the new Facebook is cool and we can’t wait to check out more amazing changes coming in the next few days.
So make sure to subscribe to our blog and follow our social media pages for more updates like this.
On the other hand, if you want to know how to optimize your Facebook page to increase reach, engagement, and be appear on top of Facebook search result check out our previous blog here – How To Optimize Facebook Page Based On The Latest Facebook 2020 Update
What do you like best in the new Facebook? Feel free to share them in the comments below.
Keep safe and be social!
About the Author
Crisel Blenda Fernandez is a digital marketing strategist specialising in content marketing and social media management. She loves writing, experimenting, researching, and discovering new things in the digital marketing world. She is a Hubspot Content Writing Certified and a coffee lover. If not writing, she is busy playing with her daughter (singing Finger Family and I’m a little teapot) or binge-eating with her husband.