Are You Sweating the Recent Facebook Announcements?

We’ve all heard the recent Facebook news, by now! As a business owner or Facebook page manager, are you sweating the recent Facebook announcements?

As you’ve probably heard over the last few years, Facebook organic reach is declining. Facebook announced a few weeks ago, that this trend will continue and decrease even more for certain brand pages. Facebook wants the user experience to be a positive, meaningful one. To ensure this result, the algorithm will once again change. Brands that post status updates (this includes video, images and curated content) that generate conversation among page users will rank higher in the algorithm, thus ensuring greater organic reach and engagement.

So, what does this all mean?

In my opinion, the primary objective for using Facebook to market your business is to drive traffic to your website. The secondary objective is to add users to your email list. Facebook is a tool to reach these objectives. The goal for Facebook status updates has always been to post content that would interest and engage your audience such as original images, videos, and links to articles. So, really nothing has changed as far as posting strategy is concerned. If you are posting content to your Facebook page that excites, ignites and entices your audience, the engagement shouldn’t change. In fact, I’ve noticed that on at least one of the client pages I manage, organic reach and engagement rates have increased in the last few weeks!

December Type of Posts, Organic Reach and Engagement Rates:

Average Organic Reach:  646.25           Average Engagement Rate: 5.25%

 

January Type of Posts, Organic Reach and Engagement Rates:

Average Organic Reach: 1,145.625      Average Engagement Rate: 9.75%

 

So, although organic reach is low on some posts, it’s high for others. My takeaway is to continue to produce quality content and curate relevant content. It can be difficult to know what will resonate with followers.

Suggestions to continue to reach and engage your audience

1. Video

Facebook Live and other video is HOT right now, so anytime video can be used in a post, the better. Did you know you can create a video with images directly in Facebook when you post a status update? (I’ll create a video showing how to do this in the near future).

There are apps and tools you can use to create original videos such as Ripl or Adobe Spark. These videos can be repurposed for Instagram depending on the length and also for YouTube.

2. Posts That Encourage Engagement and Conversation

Ask questions to encourage conversation amongst your followers. Or  try “this or that” type of posts. Asking users to explicitly “Like” “Comment” or “Share” will be penalized. If Facebook content is generating conversations, those posts will rank higher in the algorithm. I will be experimenting with different ways to get people to contribute to the conversation for my clients’ pages. Do you have any suggestions for encouraging conversation?

I offer some other suggestions in this blog post: 6 Tips to Increase User Engagement on Facebook.

3. Facebook Groups

Whether or not to start a Facebook Group will involve some research and thought about allocation of resources. Growing and maintaining an active group takes a lot of time and effort. I do not think creating a Facebook Group is the best solution for everyone! Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of a Facebook Group here: Facebook Groups.

4. Facebook Ads

One thing I know for sure, is that Facebook Ads are a must! In the examples above, none of the sample posts were boosted, but I know from experience that boosting a post is a cheap and easy way for your posts to reach more people. Boosting a post, is just one objective for Facebook advertising. Depending on the goal a business is trying to achieve with Facebook ads, will determine the type of ad that should be run. Facebook Ads for promoting specific programs and growing your email list, are an ideal way to reach your target market! One of the services we offer is setting up and managing Facebook Ads, so if you are interested in finding out more, give me a call or send me an email at kelly@simplificationservices.com.

Continuing to monitor reach and engagement on Facebook is critical. As social media platforms change – and they all do – I am convinced that putting forth extra effort to grow your own email list is critical. One of my goals for 2018 is to grow my email list and help my clients do the same. If you have any questions or if we can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us!