Facebook recently announced a change about how it will display content within the News Feed. The changes are expected to roll out over the next few months and promote “meaningful interactions.” But what does this change actually mean for you? Will it really impact businesses and if so, how much?
What Does this Change Mean for Your Content?
In short, Facebook’s News Feed update will favor posts from people instead of brands, and posts with more engagement (comments and shares) are more likely to appear in News Feeds than posts with only reactions (such as likes).
In filtering out this type of content, Facebook looks for a return to its original purpose: social media, in which users participate in meaningful interactions with other users.
But this update raises the question of what the future holds for businesses who market themselves through Facebook posts. Many brands and businesses rely on Facebook as a communication channel to make announcements and stay in touch with their fans and followers.
With Facebook’s updated algorithm favoring users over brands, it is imperative that your social media strategy focuses on quality content and community management to continue to reach your audience on Facebook.
What to Do to Stay Relevant on Facebook
Now more than ever, it is crucial to create visual, meaningful, relatable, original, and polished content in an effort to connect with page followers. Businesses must also be aware of the fact that Facebook users determine what is noteworthy and shareable, and pages must publish and promote content with user preferences – as opposed to brand interests – in mind. Remember that good social media content earns shares and comments, which in turn, earns the favor of Facebook’s algorithm, meaning posts will be more visible on News Feeds.
With Facebook’s recent preference for interactions between users, community management should be a cornerstone of your social media strategy. Focus on responding to comments, mentions, and messages from page followers and customers. Facebook will look at these interactions when determining what content to show in the News Feed.
**It’s worth noting that Facebook ads are not directly affected by this update. So, by using paid advertising on Facebook, you’re increasing your chances of reaching a large portion of your target audience beyond your followers and across the social site and its extended network. And coupling the aforementioned community management strategies within ad management can lead to improved page performance.
Your Future on Facebook
As Facebook continues to revise its algorithm, businesses must keep flexible, creative, and user-oriented social media practices in mind. Remember to show the human side of your brand (not just the business side) to connect with your followers. This not only agrees with Facebook’s algorithm but can also lead to the start of a meaningful client-business relationship.
