As we’re settling into the New Year and trying new things – or even on-track with New Year Resolutions, Facebook is also revamping its News Feed!
Earlier last week, if you’ve seen Mark Zuckerberg’s post or the News Release from Facebook about bringing people closer, then you’ll know that News Feeds are going through a major change.
Why an Update?
Facebook was built as a social platform, to bring people closer and build relationships. This update is in response to Users feeling that Facebook has shifted too far away from friends and family related content, with the significant growth of business and brand public content overtaking their feeds.
What will the Update be?
We all know that posts with more Likes, Reactions, Comments and Shares tend to appear higher in News Feeds. With this new update however, Facebook aims to ‘bring people closer together’ by prioritising Friends and Family posts with a new algorithm, and show less public content from businesses and publishers. Hence your business page posts may see a decrease in reach, especially if the content is not engaging.
So what should Businesses do?
While this is great for the Users, it is important for businesses to stay on top of the curve, or risk being unseen. Page posts will still appear in feeds, but there will be even fewer spaces! Here are 5 tips to help you break through to your audience:
1, Preferences
People can still see posts from their favourite Pages if they choose “See First in News Feed” in their preferences. So encourage your Followers to set your page as a ‘see first’.
2, Content, content, content!
Yes Content is key! If you are just bombarding people with lots of passive posts, chances are, your Page Posts will start to rank lower and decrease in distribution.
Facebook wants content that connect people by instigating conversation and inspiring back-and-forth discussion. So your posts must provoke your audience to want to interact with it (rather than just passive information).
For example, relevant community updates, events, or news can start conversations. Think of what people want to talk about, tell ‘Stories’ and use real-life situations that people can relate to. “Edu-tainment” is another type of content that provides value and drives engagement especially in Likes and Shares. Be creative and get people talking!
3, Live Videos
Videos generally show higher in News Feeds, and Live Videos tend to generate discussion among viewers, which will give the post a further boost. Consider running a regular informational Live Video, and encourage people to comment with their questions.
4, Beware the Engagement Bait
Now you might think, maybe I can get people to engage by asking them to Like or Tag their friends! Well Facebook is also going to crack down and demote spam posts that goad people into taking action, as these type of content is not a meaningful interaction. Examples include asking people to Vote by reaction, Liking because of a certain characteristic, or commanding people to comment “YES” if they agree with you.
Engagement baiting examples:
Source: News Feed FYI: Fighting Engagement Bait on Facebook
5, Advertising
If you haven’t already started, now is the time to prepare and budget for Facebook advertising. There really isn’t any way around it anymore. With this new update, you need to pay to play. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or use a marketing agency to get you started.
Remember, there are still two billion users on Facebook, so your market is out there. Don’t be discouraged but be ready for this new change – and Facebook is constantly changing – so who knows what’s next! This clean-up on Facebook will improve user experience and if you step up to the game, your business can even have a more meaningful presence on Facebook!
Still thinking you might need a hand? Let Concept Designs and Marketing help! Our social media team is ready for this and can help you get your business seen, from graphic design to content writing, and from post planning to publishing. So you have one less thing to worry about.
Contact us for a friendly chat today!
