Facebook is Changing. What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If you haven’t already noticed a change in your Facebook feed, you can expect to any day now.  Facebook is changing how it ranks its posts, photos and videos that appear in user’s news feeds. The purpose of this change is to bring Facebook back to its roots and put friends and family first. 

The Change:

In short, you will be seeing more posts from your family and friends and less from brands and publishers. You will also be seeing less of the viral futuristic product, cooking, and cute animal videos. Prioritizing posts from your family and friends is all part of facebooks efforts to bring more meaning and conversation back to the platform.

Here is an excerpt from the original announcement:

“Page posts that generate conversation between people will show higher in News Feed. For example, 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. Many creators who post videos on Facebook prompt discussion among their followers, as do posts from celebrities. In Groups, people often interact around public content. Local businesses connect with their communities by posting relevant updates and creating events. And news can help start conversations on important issues. Using “engagement-bait” to goad people into commenting on posts is not a meaningful interaction, and we will continue to demote these posts in the News Feed.” 

Brands and publishers will take the loss.

Remember a few years ago when your news feed was taken over by untasteful articles, clothing ads and memes? These posts will be greatly scaled back as posts from family and friends will be pushed to the top. For many users, this news comes as a relief. On the other hand, those who still want to see posts from their favorite brands and publishers will be able to.  The News Feed tab options will allow users to prioritize the pages (and friends) whose posts they are interested in the most.

What does this mean for you as a business owner who uses Facebook to market?

It’s simple- be more human.

When Zuckerburg released this statement, he referred back to the original purpose and intention behind Facebook, which has recently been lacking due to the publisher and public content shifting our newsfeeds.  In a nutshell, the reach of your Facebook business pages will diminish significantly and your posts as a business owner will show up much less in other’s newsfeed. This in no way means you should give up though. Business owners are still encouraged to use their Facebook Pages but in order to show up and still gain traction, there are a few things you may need to consider. 

Be engaging and conversational.

…and by this, we don’t mean engagement-bait. Language on posts such as “SHARE” and “LIKE” will be lower in priority with these new changes. To avoid this, talk to your audience authentically. Tell your story. Be a thought leader.  Posts that your Facebook friends find engaging will rise to the top. Conversations stemming from live videos, influencer posts, groups and other interactive post types will be also be prioritized in the News Feed.

Facebook Groups

Join a Facebook group and be a part of a community. More importantly, participate and engage! It is important to show up, ask questions, share insights and get recognized.

Start an email list on the side. 

As with anything, it’s not a great idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Starting an email list will help you collect your audience’s information so you can market and engage with them outside of Facebook. This is always a good idea to keep in mind as social media is always changing pace. 

Go live.

We get it, it’s intimidating, but it’s also important. Did you know on average, Facebook Live videos get six times as much engagement as regular video posts? It is a great way to engage with your audience, and it will always notify them when you are going live!

Run a Facebook ad, don’t boost your post. 

Running an ad and boosting a post are 2 different things, and will get you two very different results. Learn how to run an ad campaign or ask for our help! Since organic posts won’t have the engagement that they used to, running paid campaigns is a guaranteed way to make sure you are noticed by your audience.

If it is not in your budget to do paid advertising, make sure to implement the tips above. We hope this helps! Have you seen any changes in your feed? Are you a business owner whos social media tactics are having to suddenly change? We would love to hear your thoughts!