Last week, Facebook announced that it will be rolling out significant changes to its algorithm, focused primarily on bringing more engaging content to Newsfeeds and cutting down on content from publishers. Naturally, social media management companies like Social Media Energy took note and began to research how these changes might affect the valuable content being published by brands and companies all over Facebook Pages. While originally concerning, these algorithm changes may prove to be positive for publishers looking to raise engagement and provide high quality content for their audience.
What’s Happening
So what are these big changes that the social media world is talking about? Facebook’s man-in-charge Mark Zuckerberg announced the change last week, citing Facebook’s original purpose of bringing people closer together. According to Facebook’s newsroom, the algorithm changes will prioritize the conversation-inducing posts from the people you care about, over static posts from publishers and brands. This does not mean that all content from Pages will be removed, but brands and publishers will potentially see a decrease in reach, views, and engagement when the changes roll out.
What Should Brands Do?
While this seems like an intimidating change in the social media world, we at Social Media Energy view it as a new opportunity to create unique, engaging content for users to engage with. Indeed, Facebook addresses this directly in their announcement; they encourage brands to publish creative content that inspire back-and-forth discussion. According to Zuckerberg, brands who can successfully create these conversations with their content will see a less dramatic change in organic reach.
Although Facebook will be prioritizing posts with higher engagement, they also warn against ‘engagement bait.’ This means that Facebook will be cracking down on posts with wording like ‘comment below’ or ‘please share.’ They are looking to create a more user-friendly browsing environment without the spammy feel of click-bait postings. Brands would be wise to create truly engaging content that their audience actually cares about in lieu of cheap-feeling engagement bait.
Users can still see posts from their favorite Pages first in their Newsfeeds, but they have to opt-in to it. Audience members who want to see their favorite content first can select ‘See First’ in their News Feed Preferences. Pages can encourage their audience to change their preferences, but it is a long shot and will see low results. A more successful approach is to create quality content to spur engagement.
Social Media Energy Can Help
Are you overwhelmed by these extensive Facebook algorithm changes? We at Social Media Energy have weathered the storm of algorithm changes before and we look forward to the new opportunities presented by this one. Contact us to see how we can revolutionize your social media channels.
Recent Comments