In January 2018, Facebook announced that it would make changes to its news feed algorithm. This is the strategy that Facebook uses to decide what is going to show up when users are scrolling on their news feed. This change may seem minimal, but it can have a huge impact on your business’s social media reach.
The first thing you need to know about Facebook’s algorithm change is that it is putting more emphasis on posts from Facebook user’s family and friends, rather than businesses, brands, and influencers. This means that you are going to see more posts from your Facebook friends (engagements and new baby posts galore!) rather than from any businesses pages you follow.
So what does all of this mean to business owners? It means that your post’s reach and interactions may decrease as a result. In order to stop this from happening, you are going to have to tailor your business’ social media marketing strategies in order to make sure your posts are gaining maximum outreach.
Below are a few tips on how your business should cope with Facebook’s algorithm changes:
Quality Over Quantity - According to a post from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, “As we roll this out, you'll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard -- it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” This means that when a business is creating posts for Facebook, they should be focusing on the quality of the posts being shared, rather than the amount of posts being shared.
Facebook will also be weighing heavily the amount of interaction (reactions, comments, and shares) that your posts receive. The more meaningful interactions a post receives, the more likely it is going to be seen on a user’s news feed.
Consider Streaming Live Videos - In the same Facebook post by Zuckerberg, he mentions the increased use of live videos, “We've seen people interact way more around live videos than regular ones. Some news helps start conversations on important issues” As the new algorithm rolls out, live videos may be a more effective way of gaining outreach on the web than by simply posting a video to your page.
Refocus your Marketing Techniques - The changes Facebook is implementing are focusing on personal posts rather than public media posts. Reevaluating your company’s marketing strategy is going to play an integral role in making sure your posts are present on the web!
If you are worried that your business might suffer from Facebook’s algorithm change, contact us at Skigital. Our team of social media marketers are here to assist your business! For more details on how we can assist you, check out our media services page.
