Here’s a good news story for marketers: Facebook has opened up the firehose on branded content.

But there are strings attached.

Page turner?

Until now, only verified Pages and Profiles could share branded content on Facebook. Now any Page can apply for access to the branded content tool by clicking this link.

Facebook is also offering the branded content tool to unverified Pages it predicts are likely to use it.

If your Page or Profile is approved to use the tool, you’ll receive a notification when you log in to Facebook. The feature is available on web and iOS, with Android support coming soon.

Easy does it

Facebook has also updated its policy on the branded content tag. Now all tags must include the word ‘Paid’ in the post.

Facebook says this gives users more transparency across content in the News Feed.

Good Cop

Finally, Facebook has refreshed its Branded Content Policy after feedback from publishing partners.

You can now include logos, watermarks, and graphical overlays for the duration of a video. Previously, these assets were restricted to the first three seconds of a video.

Publishers posting branded content that violates Facebook’s policies will no longer have that content removed.

Here, Facebook has adopted a carrot and stick approach: you’ll receive a notification and the offending content will be hidden from the News Feed. Once content is amended and no longer in violation, it gets back into the party.

How will this update change up your marketing mix? Let us know in the Comments.

To find out more visit media.fb.com.