In recent years, Facebook’s newsfeed has gone from mainly displaying activity from your friends and family, to becoming increasingly populated by media, businesses and organisations.
There have been pros and cons to this; while it’s helped smaller brands build an audience and a community using engaging content, others have used Facebook’s algorithm to inundate people with largely irrelevant marketing messages.
Facebook is now looking to put the ‘social’ back into social network with an updated algorithm that favours meaningful conversations and content from friends and family.
In Mark Zuckerberg’s own words: “I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”
So what does this mean for brands that are still looking to engage with their audiences through Facebook?
1. Your content has to be engaging.
Content that generates engagement through likes, shares and - in particular - conversations will be favoured by the new algorithm as Facebook works to put an end to passive scrolling through the newsfeed.
2. You may have to re-think your video strategy.
Videos have long benefited from the Facebook algorithm, but this advantage is set to decline unless they generate meaningful interaction. You can help drive engagement by ensuring your video captures people’s attention in the first three seconds, or by including a call to action. Live video is predicted to stay strong, with videos that are watched for longer gaining more visibility in the newsfeed.
3. Your Facebook page will require an advertising budget.
This update will all but eliminate organic reach, which is the amount of people who see your posts without you paying for it. This means brands will have to pay to reach their audience, no matter how relevant their content is.
Engagement also affects sponsored posts, with posts generating conversation achieving higher reach. To maximise the potential of your sponsored posts, always respond to comments from followers to keep the conversation going.
4. Influencers will become even more influential.
As influencers are perceived as people first and brands second, they tend to have a very personal relationship with their audience. They know their followers well and often generate a ton of interaction on their posts, making them one of the few commercial winners of the new algorithm and an important asset for brands looking for visibility online.
For support on improving your engagement on Facebook and working with the new algorithm, get in touch with the team on 01202 293095 or hello@sunnybirdpr.com