Today Facebook has announced a major update to its algorithm which it says will result in Pages seeing a decrease in ‘reach, video watch time and referral traffic.’
The site’s overall aim, as always, is to promote meaningful interactions between people ‘you care about.’
Facebook has always promoted posts from friends and family over businesses (hence the current 2% organic reach) but now it is taking things one step further by prioritising posts which inspires ‘back-and-forth discussion in the comments.’
Here’s what they said: ‘Because space in News Feed is limited, showing more posts from friends and family and updates that spark conversation means we’ll show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.’
Regarding the impact on Pages, Facebook says: ‘Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution. Pages whose posts prompt conversations between friends will see less of an effect.’
So what does all this mean?
Without a doubt, things are changing. We always try our best to create content that followers will enjoy but Facebook is now basically looking for ‘discussions’ on posts.
From what we have read today, the general feeling is that posts which simply link out to blogs and websites are a no-no as they take people off the platform and away from having a conversation.
The platform has given us some clues as to what it’s looking for. These include:
· More Facebook Live posts as they generally prompt 6x as many interactions as regular video
· Groups
· Sharing relevant news content which starts conversations
· See First – if people use the ‘see first’ option on the page they will continue to see updates from you at the top of their feed when they first log in.
Facebook advertising has also never been more important. Even a budget of £50-£100 a month can help build following and engagement.
Over the few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at our client’s pages and their insights and will come up with recommendations. We will be looking at which posts work best and what’s working for competitors.
In the meantime, Facebook love ‘authenticity’ so please jump in and comment on posts, ask people questions and get involved, be visible as YOU.
If you need any advice or support with your social media management, feel free to get in touch with us for a free no obligations consultation and find out how we can save you time and increase awareness of your brand.