Another day, another Facebook update; but this time your business can’t afford to ignore the big changes to users’ news feeds.
It may be crazy to think that Facebook was originally created by Mark Zuckerberg to keep in touch with his fellow students. Now, the social media giant is being used by millions to do everything and anything, from sharing a funny viral video with your friend, to discovering a new fashion brand.
However, recent updates suggest that Facebook is going back to its roots. Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post that big changes will be happening in 2018:
“We built Facebook to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us. That's why we've always put friends and family at the core of the experience. Research shows that strengthening our relationships improves our well-being and happiness.
But recently we've gotten feedback from our community that public content -- posts from businesses, brands and media -- is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.”
What exactly is changing?
Adam Mosseri, Head of News Feed, has said that “posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people” will be prioritised. (Source: Facebook Newsroom)
The News Feed primary values are that “friends and family come first” while content should “inform and entertain”. (Source: Facebook Newsroom)
The algorithm will focus on showing content from close family and friends to users; meaning you won’t miss out on wishing your work colleague a happy birthday or congratulating a friend on their new job.
How will Pages be affected?
The answer is dependant on how active your Page is in general.
If you receive a lot of meaningful engagement, then you won’t see much change. On the other hand, if your posts don’t perform particularly well then you will see a dramatic drop in reach and audience interaction as Facebook demotes your posts.
Mosseri attempts to subdue business owners’ fears by stating that:
“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." (Source - Facebook Newsroom)
Smaller business needn’t fear either as he also adds:
“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." (Source - Facebook Newsroom)
It’s time to accept that Facebook is changing and while it may benefit users' overall happiness, it could negatively affect how businesses reach consumers. Quality over quantity is essential for your future content marketing plan and could ultimately decide if you thrive or fade away on this particular social networking platform during the following year and foreseeable future.
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