In today’s social media landscape, marketing strategies must constantly evolve to keep up with the varied social platform’s ever-changing internal policies, algorithms, app updates, and endless user trends. Facebook recently announced its implementation of a new algorithm raising concerns for brands with a presence on this platform. The site now values personal relationships and connections over advertisements and branded content, upheaving many businesses’ marketing plans that rely heavily on organic reach. In his Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg explains, “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.”
Despite the resulting challenge, Facebook’s new algorithm is not a death sentence. Brands that can adapt to the new rules of the platform will continue to thrive. Here are four tips to help you get started:
Join the Conversation
Now that the algorithm is based primarily on the idea of human connection, this is the time to get to know your audience personally. Start up conversations, ask questions, and create polls to drive the discussion to your page. Stay away from asking for likes, comments, or shares as Facebook deems this as “engagement bait” and punishes brands by pushing their content down even further. Instead, put your efforts towards creating visual content that encourages engagement, especially from those who may be new to your page. According to CoSchedule, posting a simple message with a graphic, whether it be humorous, inspirational, or encouraging, can increase a Facebook page’s reach by 250%.
Utilize Boost
You want your product to reach as many people as possible. Now that the algorithm focuses on personal posts over the content provided by brands, do not be alarmed if you experience less engagement on your page. Instead of trying to increase the number of posts in hopes of reaching more people, focus your attention on quality over quantity. Utilizing the Boost feature on your Facebook page will not only guarantee an increased reach, but Facebook allows you to customize the audience demographic for a targeted, more successful outcome.
Post Gifs, Videos, and Memes
According to Facebook, users watch over 100 million hours of video every single day on their platform. According to Adam Mosseri, the Head of Facebook’s News Feed, videos are the most popular content on Facebook. Whether it’s going behind the scenes of your brand, events, promotions, or customer testimonials, videos are perfect to get your message across without your audience feeling suffocated by mountains of text. Brands should also utilize Facebook Live to connect with followers, offering up a few meaningful benefits you may not otherwise get.
Page posts that generate conversation between people will show higher in the News Feed. For example, live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook. In fact, according to Mosseri, “Live videos on average get six times as many interactions as regular videos.” Many creators who post videos on Facebook prompt discussion among their followers, as do posts from celebrities. In Groups, people often interact around public content. Local businesses connect with their communities by posting relevant updates and creating events. And news can help start conversations on important issues.
Additionally, gifs and memes are also a great way to connect with your audience on a more personal level. According to CoSchedule, posts with gifs get 167% more click-throughs and users really relate to them. Once you’ve tested the waters in these areas, focus on your page’s insights to collect which posts have performed best on your page and develop a plan.
Share Content
Facebook wants users to stay on Facebook. Sharing content is a good way to avoid the algorithm from dropping your page down a user’s News Feed. Making use of relevant photos, memes, and viral videos that your audience already loves can increase your reach and engagement. If your audience shares the content you are posting, it will still link to your page, allowing more page exposure to outside users. Adding curated content to your already established original content will give your audience a fresh News Feed every day, avoiding the feeling of monotony.
