Have you heard of the latest Facebook algorithm changes?
After a moment of panic, marketers are starting to focus on figuring out what this really means to you and to your Facebook business pages.
If you are still trying to figure it out, the gist of the change is to keep you connected to the people, places and things you want to be connected to — starting with the people you are friends with on Facebook .
Personally, I am not sure why this is such a huge news: the reach for brand pages has been low for a long time.
This new change does mean it will be lower. However, given the low overall performance, the drop should not be as drastic as it was several years ago. Since Facebook IPO back in 2012 Facebook has been on a constant drive to get more advertising dollars.
In addition to making money, another factor driving this change is an attempt to stay relevant with all users. Facebook is doing everything at its power to avoid the fate of MySpace and other early days social networks.
Here are 4 strategies to consider to stay ahead of the Facebook algorithm change:
A)Focus on Personal Pages in addition to the Business Pages
The same post will yield very different results depending on whether it is posted on a personal or a business page.
A number of savvy marketers and business owners have already moved a lot of their Facebook activity to their personal pages. They frequently work business news into personal updates, share the latest blog they have written with a personal note attached.
If you decide to follow their lead, make sure that stay consistent with the Facebook guidelines on using personal pages for business.
As this Buffer post illustrates, you can present the same information on the personal and business page. Adding your personal note makes it more relevant to your friends.
B) Try contests to incentivize personal sharing.
Contest are a great way of encouraging people to share information with their friends and family. As long as the contest is fun and easy to join, people tend to participate and include their friends. This, in turn, plays well with the new Facebook algorithm.
Whenever you run the contents, reply on the third party apps to stay consistent with the Facebook rules and regulations. These apps also allow for you to tap into the proven ways of running contests vs. trying to figure it out on your own. Whishpond blog has a few ideas for contests.
C) Encourage your users to use “See First” feature.
This feature was first introduced about a year ago and it allows Facebook users to stay more connected to the relevant pages. If you encourage your fans to select the “See First” feature, your posts will be more likely to show up in their News Feed.
Quick note on this: most people will need additional incentives to do this. Therefore, focus on making your posts incredibly relevant and worthy of users time and attention.
This Wired post shares a great example of how the New York Times page connects with their users.
D) Unleash the power of Facebook precise targeting
Accept the fact that the most effective strategy on Facebook is utilizing their paid options. The real power of Facebook is its access to the in-depth targeting data on of their users.
Facebook advertising options can be fairly low cost, but will allow you to connect with a well defined audience.
Test low cost solutions with Custom Audience Targeting Campaign.
CONCLUSION:
No matter what you think about the latest changes in the algorithm, you still cannot afford to avoid Facebook in your marketing mix. Afterall, it is the most active platform in the world. Its “population” exceeds the most populous countries.
If you cannot beat it, make it work for you, right?
Try adjusting your marketing strategy to match the changes in the Facebook algorithm. You can also try these 8 Facebook algorithm hacks to further improve your post performance.
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on strategies you see work for your Facebook pages.
