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News is out that Facebook has altered its algorithms in an attempt to more accurately filter users’ News Feeds, showcasing only the most relevant and interesting content by analyzing posts on about 100,000 various factors.
While these new developments are great for personal News Feeds, the side effect for many brands using Facebook as a part of their digital marketing strategy is a diminished reach on Page posts. This goes beyond big-time brands like Nike and Apple — small businesses and organizations are also subject to changes, potentially compromising years of work generating Likes from loyal customers and supporters.
According to Facebook, these changes were spurred by ever-increasing numbers of Facebook users (including brands) and decreasing News Feed “space,” as the number of posts continues to rise but users’ time spent on the site does not. Translation: Everyone’s got something to say, but not everyone can be heard (unless you pay for an ad, but even then, visibility is questionable).
While avoiding “click-bait” and trendy memes can improve a post’s chance of being deemed worthy of the News Feed, we’ve learned that companies have little control in determining which users — and how many of them — see their posts on social media.
Facebook can be an effective way to engage customers, but we don’t know what the site’s next round of changes may bring. Avoid putting all your proverbial eggs in one basket and diversify your marketing plan to go beyond your Facebook Page. Develop a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn and even Instagram, and create a blog to keep customers and supporters in the loop with company news.
The great thing about digital marketing is that a lot of it can be done using free resources, with the only limitations being the time you have available to manage your efforts. Each Facebook post, tweet, blog post or share to LinkedIn puts up a digital “billboard” for your brand. While every follower may not see every post, the more of these billboards you put up, the more likely your content is to be seen.
Manage all of your digital marketing efforts in a single place by signing up for a free BubbleLife Connect site at bubblemedia4.wpengine.com.
Sarah Griffith is Executive Editor of BubbleLife.com, an Advice Interactive Group product. She’s worked with BubbleLife since 2011, transitioning to Advice during BubbleLife’s acquisition in 2017. Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism-Public Relations from Baylor University and has a passion for all things related to content. She has formerly served in multiple roles at BubbleLife, including Digital Marketing Consultant, Account Executive, Business Editor, and Neighborhood Editor, helping expand the company from eight community websites in Dallas-Fort Worth to more than 250 nationwide. When out of the office, Sarah can typically be found listening to live music and engaging in a never-ending hunt for the best queso in Dallas.
