The New Facebook Feed and What It Means for Businesses

The-New-Facebook-Feed-and-What-It-Means-for-Businesses-315Because the only constant thing in the world is change, Facebook has yet again updated its News Feed algorithm.

This time around, the social media giant’s focus will be on increasing “meaningful interactions.” Users will see more content from family and friends and less from brands, news outlets, and businesses. The move is aligned with founder Mark Zuckerberg’s vision to bring back Facebook to its roots – more social network and less marketing platform.

It sounds like potentially bad news for Page admins, specifically those who have grown to rely on Facebook’s free tools to reach their target audience. Thanks to the way the News Feed automatically placed posts pre-update, content from publishers got the same visibility as content from personal contacts. But with the new algorithm, one’s friends will get better post placement than business pages. Businesses will get less few organic views as a result.

Nevertheless, all hope is not lost. There are a few ways to retain the visibility of your page’s posts!  I uncover some key ways here:

1. “See First” feature

Facebook has a feature called “See First” which allows users to see new posts at the top of their News Feed. To be given priority, don’t hesitate to ask your fans to switch on the feature for your Page. Do a little video and show them!

There is no guarantee that everyone will switch on the “See First” feature, but there’s a big chance your brand’s loyal fans will. They may just need to be reminded. After all, many people don’t know about “See First”.

2. Promote posts

Facebook has promised the change in the News Feed will not affect promoted posts. This is because businesses pay for the boost, so they will continue receiving the services they’re paying for. If you’ve not tried promoted posts before, it’s time you do.

You don’t have to go big right away – you can spend as little as $5 a week for starters. Of course, the more you spend, the wider your reach. But it still doesn’t change the fact that you can boost your content regardless of your budget.

I’m in favor of using some modest ad dollars in this way so you can capitalize on Facebook’s demographic targeting.  This way you can hone your ad audience to just those who you want to reach…wasting no dollars on general “scattershot marketing”.

3. Shareable content

Producing shareable content as a strategy to gain more visibility isn’t new, but its importance is magnified now more than ever before. Facebook will give higher priority to content shared by family and friends, so logic says your content will get a wider reach if more people share it. Think about it: As soon as someone shares your post on his or her own timeline, your post will appear in the News Feed of that person’s personal contacts.

The key here is great, quality content that others would want to share!  Get creative. It’s not about what you want to share, but about what of yours can be of value that others would be motivated to share.

4. Conversation starters

Posts that evoke discussions will get higher distribution in the News Feed, so make sure to produce content that elicits comments and encourages interactions. You need to stay away from purely promotional posts and veer toward engaging ones. Videos are great examples of content that can raise a reaction, whether good or bad. However, be careful not to share click bait yet fluffy content. The new Facebook algorithm wants substance.

The major change to Facebook’s News Feed may not be welcomed by businesses. However, take it as a test of your own brand’s adaptability. If you can keep up with the ever-evolving rules of social media platforms, then you can be assured your business has what it takes to adjust to change, no matter how unexpected.