Facebook has made changes to how sponsored events appear to users – previously they showed up in the lesser-viewed right-hand section of home pages however they will now appear within news feeds along with other activity.
This will be lauded by advertisers and page owners as it will mean users don’t have to stray from their usual eye line to see the advert in the corner of the screen but will automatically see it when scrolling through their feed. Underneath the title of the event it will state ‘sponsored post’ in small grey letters but other than that it will look and feel like other events that pop up in people’s feeds when friends of theirs have joined or attended it.
In the box it will display the title, date, picture and the number of people who are attending. For the advertisers or page owners themselves the Insights section has also been updated. The new look will mean they can see the following when they are in the event on Facebook themselves:
• The number of views the event has had
• The number and names of the people who are attending
• The number of people who have joined, saved or said maybe to attending the event
This will offer the advertiser the ability to see how much (or little) the new advertising method has made.
The Events page for ordinary users has also undergone a refresh. The updates will mean the Events page is easier to find and easily see. Events they might be interested will also pop up now. This might be because of the pages they like, what events their friends are attending, what day of the week or their location.