Last week Mark Zuckerberg made a huge announcement about changes to the Facebook news feed. This announcement has left many businesses uncertain about how they can reach their audience on Facebook. I am here to tell you to keep calm and Facebook on! Keep reading to learn more about the changes to the news feed and how it will impact you.
Here is the full post by Zuckerberg below:
Here is an excerpt from his announcement that stands out:
“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.”
Posts You May See First
The posts that you see first are influenced by your connections and Facebook activity. The amount of comments, likes, and reactions a post receives, as well as what type of story it is, can impact whether you see that post first.
Examples:
- When multiple people comment on a post
- A friend reacts to a post from a publisher that a friend has shared
- Friends or family members commenting on or liking a person’s photo or status update
Now that you have a better understanding of the changes, here is our take on what you can do to stay connected with your followers on Facebook.
Video is Where It’s At
We recommend using Facebook Live on a regular basis to engage with your followers. Look at this as creating a video blog about what is going on with your business. People love getting a behind-the-scenes look into what is going on. This type of content is important because Facebook has stated that Live videos are totaling six times the interactions of non-Live videos.
Neil Patel outlines ways of using Facebook Live for your brand in his post 19 Ideas for a Facebook Live Video to Boost Brand Awareness. Take a look if you’re wondering how to use it for your business!
Content Is Still King as Long as It’s Meaningful
The days of just posting a link to your blog post have come to an end, but that does not mean you should not post content. Your posts should share something relevant to the interests of your followers and engage them in a way that will encourage them to post comments. This does not mean you should ask for comments and likes. Instead craft engaging posts that include a link to your blog or a relevant article.
Take a look at the people who follow you and get an understanding of who they are and what they like and then continue to make content that will engage conversation and hopefully shares.
Establish Groups
Groups are an area that you should consider creating a group for their business. Facebook is focusing on groups and is almost building what could be considered a separate news feed for groups. Groups are just one more way for you to interact with your followers.
You Have to Spend Money to Make Money
This is not a new adage, but is becoming more of a reality when it comes to Facebook. Facebook and Instagram ads are an important spoke in your digital marketing wheel, but this is not the only way you can build “meaningful interactions” with your followers. The good news is that Facebook and Instagram ads are generally more cost effective than Google Ads.
Mari Smith, small business and Facebook marketing expert, helps translate these changes for us. Here is an excerpt from her post on Facebook about the news feed changes:
“That is, to see solid ROI on Facebook, businesses must invest in ads. The good news, though, is advertising done properly on Facebook and Instagram can dramatically grow your business.”
Facebook remains important for businesses. It is time to shift the manner in which we engage. Meaningful interactions are imperative for your business to stay relevant on Facebook.
The good news is that Robb Digital is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our team to learn how your business can be successful with the changes to the Facebook news feed.