It is that time again, and everything that you just were getting the hang of is changing, which means your Facebook marketing strategy needs to change as well.
On January 11th, Facebook announced it will be updating its news feed algorithm to prioritize content from “friends, family and groups.”
“As we roll this out,” Zuckerberg wrote, “You’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard—it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”
While no one (not even QBR) can predict exactly what the impact of the Facebook news feed update will be, we know some clients and associates have already started to feel the impacts of the changes and difference in exposure. What entrepreneurs and small business owners can do is adjust their social media strategy to continue reaching customers.
How to Adjust Your Social Media Strategy to Continue Reaching Customers
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Quality Over Quantity
Focus on posting engaging, quality content that sparks conversations between users. You have to be authentic and real to connect with your audience. Try including questions in your posts, or write about timely, relevant topics that users are sure to have an opinion on. This may mean small businesses need to limit their number of posts. The goal is to choose quality over quantity. So don’t force a post out just to post. Post something that everyone who cares about that topic would want to chat about, and customers will be more likely to see your Facebook posts if their friends and family are commenting on it.
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Beware of the “Engagement-Bait” Trap
It may be tempting to try and trick Facebook by asking users to “COMMENT on this post if you like chocolate!” … or something similar. But you don’t want to be that brand – it’s spammy and customers don’t like it.
Plus, Facebook says, “Using ‘engagement-bait’ to goad people into commenting on posts is not a meaningful interaction, and we will continue to demote these posts in News Feed.” This means that they are now going to actually penalize you for it and less people will see your post.
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Facebook “See First” Option
One thing that’s not changing about the Facebook newsfeed is the ability for users to make sure they always see posts from their favorite pages by choosing “See First” in their news feed preferences.
Do not be shy about asking your customers to follow your company page on Facebook and remind loyal followers about the “See First” option. Contact QBR if you need help creating a cheat sheet showing followers how to set up “See First” for your company.
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Increase Your Ad Budget
It is no secret that organic reach has been declining across social media for years. If your small business doesn’t run Facebook Ads, well let’s just say you need to budget for this in 2018. Ad campaigns don’t have to break the bank, and they can be targeted to reach your audience and set to only spend within your budget.
Because the Facebook update is demoting content from brands and publishers, advertising is becoming more important than ever. If you need help targeting the right audiences to ensure your advertising dollars go further, we encourage you to contact QBR.
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Facebook Live Videos
If you have not jumped on the video train, you are being left at the station, or some other clique statement meaning you are really getting left behind. We have told you that videos are important in your strategy, and videos are still favored under the new Facebook update, but live videos will be even more important and more likely to be seen. In his announcement, 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.”
This is one of the few examples of content that will continue to perform well mentioned in the Facebook update announcement. I know what you are thinking-video is not my favorite thing either, but it is time we take the jump.
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Start a Facebook Group – and Join Ours
Because Facebook Groups operate on audience engagement, this social media strategy will likely serve you well under the new update. Entrepreneurs and small businesses should look into fresh ways of engaging customers within Groups, alongside their company page and advertising efforts. It is also a great way to share ideas and connect with others. If your audience is collaborative, this is definitely the way to go.
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Social Influencers
For now, connecting with social influencers will continue to be the most effective way to influence consumer behavior via social media. Social Media Influencers have established credibility in a specific industry through social media.
We must note that social influencers are, and have always been, people first and content marketers second. Every influencer has their own content style that resonates with their audience causing that audience to explode. The key is for Influencers to have a deep understanding of their followers and of their brands’ equity. Contact QBR to learn how to connect and begin working with social media influencers.
As always, there’s no reason to fear social media updates or algorithm changes if you provide your customers with valuable content. Because of the updates to Facebook this January, QBR recommends posting content that drives users away from Facebook, ie: articles, blogs, offsite videos, etc. to their group pages. And, really focus on boosting user engagement on company pages. Creating a social media calendar and writing quality content takes time. And, business owners need to be spending their time with clients. Make sure you take the step to update your Facebook Strategy. Let QBR take the burden of social media management off your shoulders, so your business can thrive. Call our office.
Looking for more Social Media insight? Check out our blog on Social Media Trends for 2018