Facebook’s new algorithm will be launched this year, businesses will have to put more thought in to creating engaging and meaningful content if they want to get featured in the news feed.
In January, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s new algorithm to prioritize content from friends, family and groups, which is great news for most people but less promising for businesses trying to be seen.
According to Zuckerberg people will see ‘less public content like posts from businesses, brands and media’, citing a ‘responsibility to make sure services are good for people’s well-being’ as the reason for the change-meaning more engaging organic content and less spammy, meaningless articles.
What Will The New Facebook Algorithm Mean For Businesses Who Want To Get Customer Engagement?
To use the new algorithm effectively, businesses will have to share more real, quality content, engage with their customers and focus on their wants and needs and increase their ad spend.
- Quality ContentMuch like modern SEO-quality content is king, and relevant, inspirational content should be created to drive organic shares.
Facebook is stating that ‘meaningful engagements’ are necessary to be positioned in the news feed.
In other words, comments will drive reach and placement, but we advise steering clear of engagement-bait. Posts mentioning the words; comment, share and free, can seem meaningless and spammy and according to Facebook these types of posts will be demoted based on their new algorithm.
- Encourage Customers To Follow Your PageYou can encourage customers to follow your page by choosing you as a favourite by selecting ‘See First’ from the drop-down menu on the right to ensure that your content is seen.
Ask customers outright to select you in their preferences, to ensure that you’re not losing out on vital visibility and to be certain that your content is getting a good reach.
- Live VideoLive video is the best way to generate more user engagement. Video content has been huge these past few years, but in January, Mark Zuckerberg stated that ‘live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook-in fact live videos get on average six times as many interactions as regular video.’
This is one guaranteed measure that will help you to get optimal performance with Facebook’s new algorithm.
- Group PagesWhy not set up a Facebook group or community to engage with your best customers or clients? Start a conversation with people who genuinely care on a group or community page.
There is generally more engagement on these pages, with more people being inclined to comment as they feel more part of a group or movement.
Several gyms, schools, sports clubs and more have created community pages to share relevant tips and advice.
Be committed to informing your client or consumer on the things that matter to them.
- Raise Your BudgetMost of you will probably already have looked at increasing your budget for boosted posts and sponsored ads by now, as organic reach has been declining for years.
Sponsored Facebook ads should be placed in the back end of Facebook, which helps to keep your business page inspirational, educational and free from advertising. You can always use back end ads to target the demographics that you want to hit with ad content but keep advertising where it belongs.
The new algorithm should work for everybody and make advertising more effective and engaging.
Master Facebook’s algorithm by using your Facebook page in the right way and keep it relevant to build your brand and to let people know who your company are. Sometimes, the best brand messages are entirely free from product e.g. Quaker Oats, Starbucks and Dove’s recent campaigns. Think outside the box to communicate correctly with your customer and to create a strong message and bond.
If you need help with your social strategy, digital marketing or PPC ad campaigns, EPresence would love to discuss all your online solutions with you.
