There is no denying that Facebook can be a large player in your marketing mix, helping to generate awareness, driving traffic to your site, and growing revenue. But in the same breath, Facebook's latest algorithm changes make getting your message seen increasingly difficult. So, what can you do about it? First, let's take a walk through the history of Facebook's changes.
History of the Facebook Algorithm:
- April 2014: Facebook updated the algorithm and your organic reach (reach without boosting posts) dropped from about 20% to about 2%.
- January 2015: Facebook enacted a new rule for business pages. This rule state that if a business page posts something overly promotional in nature, you’ll see even less organic reach. Why? Facebook conducted a survey in which their users said they want to see less promotional content and more from friends and pages they care about. What is “overly promotional content”? Your posts might get classified as ‘overly promotional’, and thus reach is reduced, if:
- They are posts that are created for the sole purpose of pushing people to buy a product usually determined by including a link out to external websites, or
- If you include calls to action like “click here”, “shop now”, “call us”, etc., or
- If you promote contests and giveaways pushing people to enter to win (doesn’t apply to ads, organic posts only)
- June 29, 2016 & carrying into 2017: Facebook announced another algorithm update and changed the newsfeed to prioritize posts from family and friends.
As a result of Facebook’s algorithm changes, Facebook is reducing reach for business pages, community pages, and groups.
What can you do about it?
Implementing three key strategies will help you weather any Facebook storm and ensure strong traffic to your website:
1. Maximize your Organic Reach:
- Creative, unique and authentic content is the only way to maintain the organic reach.
- Facebook is positioning themselves to be a major player in the video space. Native videos are being given preference by Facebook. Make sure you are utilizing this content format – it is HOT right now and will get you reach up to 5x or more that of other content types.
2. Pay more money to Facebook:
- If you go to your Facebook page, it’s very likely that the first post you see is from one of your friends. And it’s likely that the second post you see is a ‘sponsored post’ or ad.
- The goal of boosting posts is to get this coveted 2nd spot at the top of the feed and get seen nearly on-demand when users are visiting their pages and refreshing feeds.
3. Reduce your dependency on social media to grow your brand, traffic and revenue.
- Over 65% of consumer research begins with a search engine.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the act of leveraging Google’s free listings to get your business in front of ready-to-purchase clients. Ensure your website is optimized to rank better than your competitors in Google and other search engines.
For our full Point of View on this topic, which includes more detail and additional tips, download our PDF here. For help with digital marketing strategies for your business, drop us a line at hello@makadigital.com.
