Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would change the news feed algorithm again. Now, there will be more priority on content from “friends, family, and groups,” meaning Pages will be less visible. While this may be a good thing for consumers tired of seeing their feeds inundated with commercial content – it’s not suitable for businesses that rely on Facebook marketing to connect with current and prospective customers. Changes will roll out over the next few months, likely translating to a much lower organic reach.
Facebook’s Latest News Feed Update
No one knows precisely what goes into the Facebook News Feed algorithm, but just like with Google – we have some clues and good ideas based on experimentation. While we don’t know what the changes will be, Facebook will still make it possible for businesses to interact with people on Facebook – but those who lack interaction will see a dramatic decline in distribution. This is because Facebook is concerned about providing a quality experience that promotes a user’s well-being – and their research shows genuine interactions between friends are what does that.
What You Need to Do
Ask Your Followers to Mark Your Page as “See First”’
Facebook understands why marketers and advertisers would be worried about the algorithm change. To appease their worries, they’re advising brand and Page managers to ask their audience to mark Pages they want to keep up with as “See First” so they can actively remain part of the News Feed. This is a double opt-in – because the person has to “Like” the Page and mark it as “See first.” Though there’s no guarantee your audience will see your posts this way, it can’t hurt. Your audience may not opt to mark your Page this way, but for those that do – you know you have at least some engaged fans.
Focus on Meaningful Engagement
If you’re posting content, but no one is commenting, then you don’t have meaningful engagement as far as Facebook is concerned. Your content should be aimed at generating back-and-forth conversation – between you and your fans – and between fans themselves. Self-serving content hasn’t had a place in social media for a long time, but if you’re still using it – now’s the time to get rid of it.
How do you do this with your content? Focus on creating visual, meaningful, relatable, and original content. This can help you connect with your followers. Focus less on your brand interests and more on what your users want and prefer. Create a Facebook Group and link it to your Page. Encourage conversation there.
Ramp Up Your Facebook Video Marketing
Video does well on Facebook and is a significant part of the algorithm. Start doing more Live broadcasts, interviews, and so on.
Add in Other Video Marketing Platforms
Take those Facebook Live videos and add them to YouTube. Add an Instagram video. Expanding your reach is never a bad thing.
Remember – Advertising is Still an Option
This algorithmic change won’t affect Facebook Ads, so you can still advertise your business to a broad audience. However, Facebook Ads can get expensive and may be out of reach for many small businesses. Facebook is a business first and foremost, and if it can increase its bottom line by manipulating what the firms who use it have to do to succeed, it will do it. That’s what we see here.
Want to take your social media to the next level? Do you need help with PPC management through Google, Bing, or Facebook? Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your business today.
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Garry Grant is a distinguished expert in search engine optimization and digital marketing, boasting over 25 years of experience in the industry. As the founder of SEO, Inc., Garry has successfully expanded the company’s offerings by developing innovative technologies and strategic solutions to address complex challenges. Please visit our SEO Company.
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