As many of you may know, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced another change to the Facebook algorithm a week ago, with the new focus being on prioritizing posts from “friends, family and groups”. Although this change will bear no effect on paid advertising, it will limit the organic (unpaid) reach on posts for businesses and publishers.
Zuckerberg has stated that once these changes are fully rolled out (which will take months) “the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people”.
Their focus is on building communities, making the time spent on Facebook less passive and more meaningful. While they are expecting less time to be spent on Facebook, they also expect people to enjoy their time spent on the platform more enjoyable.
Of course, no one knows exactly how much their organic reach will decrease once the changes come into effect, but we have a guide on how to help you to manage these new algorithm changes with all of the information we have so far.
Here are some ways to work with these inevitable changes to Facebook:
1. Encourage users to select “see first” option on your page! Your loyal fans and followers will have no issues in doing this.
2. Don’t use engagement bait such as “like if you…” “comment when you notice..” as Facebook has announced that this does not count as “meaningful interaction”. They will demote these types of posts in the newsfeed.
3. Put a focus on making more live video! Zuckerberg wrote that “live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook—in fact, live videos on average get six times as many interactions as regular videos.” So, add live vids to your 2018 strategy!
4. Continue posting about hot topics and anything that encourages commenting! Comments are gold to businesses and brands in general, but especially now, when they are the number one metric controlling their reach on newsfeeds.
5. Spend more time “managing” your community, commenting back, liking comments and continuing the conversation.
6. Spend more time in groups engaging with potential clients there. Don’t spam your business name, instead offer help and advice. Make your own business group if it’s appropriate in your niche.
