Businesses are scrambling to respond to the latest highly publicized Facebook algorithm changes. This is a big one folks. I am wondering if we may be seeing an event unfolding similar to the spectacular failure of the New Coke launch in 1985. But first, let’s start with a review of the changing habits of this author’s social media and other media consumption in the last year.
I have started to carry my Smartphone everywhere, even to the bathroom. I have a habit of checking weather, news, email, social media sites, news apps., etc. – over and over again in succession propelled by a hint of obsession.
My Facebook feed has become filled with time line and right column ads. I am flipping through gobs of posts from friends and irritating sponsored posts that are looking more like traditional TV and print ads every day. Mostly, I do not have time to read books, magazines, or on-line articles of any substance.
Most importantly, when midnight approaches and I am still on my phone flipping through the Facebook feed, I just don’t feel good and it guiltily occurs to me I should be elevating myself reading a Mann-Booker or Pulitzer Prize award-winner. Is my mind liquifying?
Facebook is once again tweaking (though this is more like a total rebuild) its algorithm to favor posts that “spark conversations and meaningful interactions.” As Adam Mosseri, Facebook Vice President, News Feed. explained, “Our mission is to bring people closer together.” I am hearing the melody of “It’s A Small, Small World” in my mind. Wow, what a responsibility! Facebook sees itself as a purveyor of the public good, perhaps even the caretaker of our minds. For personal accounts, this means that posts with LONG comments will show up in the feed more frequently. It’s another matter for business accounts, who will experience a further dip in organic reach. Businesses have already seen organic reach plummet in the last year, and have no recourse but to turn to paying for Facebook advertising, which has resulted in a monumental increase in revenue and profits for Facebook.
As more businesses jump on the Facebook bandwagon and friends lists swell, the personal feeds became a clogged super highway. Some demographics, especially the young, started turning to other platforms like Snapchat and Instagram for more personalized interaction. This was not lost on Facebook. Losing its relevancy is its number one concern, and number two was increasing advertising revenue, potentially conflicting goals. What a delicate balance. Many businesses, especially news outlets feel betrayed by this reversal.
So what does this mean for your business? I will detail the impact and recommendations so widely communicated but will add one very important point that iSushman Consulting Group has always stressed: Facebook is best used to build a community of loyal followers, and one does this through interacting with your followers and encouraging followers to interact with each other. A passive video view will not be favored. This has never changed. Additionally, marketers must start with a marketing plan, involving creativity and authenticity. Here are some additional recommendations:
1. Post less frequently – 1 to 2 times per day max. In other words, less is more
2. Create content that stimulates conversation. Be authentic.
3. Jump into LIVE video. Live video gets six times the interaction than other kinds of posts.
4. Don’t ask for COMMENTS. Facebook is smarter than that, and you’ll lose reach.
5. Use Facebook advertising. Budget monthly for boosted posts, events, and ads.
6. Learn and use Facebook Messenger, especially Messenger Chatbots. Watch for this trend. Facebook.
Stop looking to Facebook to drive traffic to your website. Don’t look to Facebook for news. Twitter is the natural medium for that, and Facebook will be emphasizing entertainment in its new Digital Television Network. Facebook is shying away from wooing news organizations because of the challenge of determining whether or not it is Fake News, so painfully illustrated in the role fake profiles played in Russia’s influence on the 2016 election. It has already let down the News organizations it wooed and then betrayed.
Bottom line, businesses will be more and more having to pay to advertise on Facebook, but the good news is that Facebook gets you to your precise target at a very reasonable cost. And, what has always been a good idea, create a really good marketing plan that involves genuine interaction with your followers. This involves courage and integrity.