How To Adapt To The Facebook News Feed Tweaks
Marketers still pining for the old days of high organic reach on the Facebook News Feed are in for bad news. The News Feed has evolved into a complex beast that challenges content creators.
With the latest updates to the Facebook News Feed algorithm,
- multiple posts are allowed from the same source in a row
- updates from friends are prioritised over brand Page posts
- there will be fewer ‘alerts’ when friends like or comment on other posts
At the time of writing, Facebook has created a new survey to improve the News Feed for each individual user. The survey questions pit posts from friends and brand pages together — asking users to choose between 2 recent posts they would like to see.
It might appear that this is yet another step towards throttling brand reach. But a closer examination will reveal workarounds to help you keep your reach high.
How Can Brands Adapt?
1. Think like a publisher
Facebook has come a long way from being the ‘hip’ social network. When a journalistic publication like The New York Times agrees to host its content natively on the platform, the signs are clear — of a move towards a publishing platform.
Brands should aim to build an audience by publishing transparent, educational and informative content on the platform.
Updates to the Facebook News Feed algorithm should not surprise you anymore. They are after all a business — and thrive on charging content creators for better reach. Think of it like a game and explore new methods to reach and build a wider audience.
2. Own content first, then syndicate
If you only use Facebook as your content channel, you are bound to take damage. With its frequently changing News Feed, it is better to be safe than sorry.
House your content on your own website or blog first. Consider Facebook as a medium for syndicating that content — with tone and voice synced to that of your blog. As a bonus, you will also save resources by avoiding recreation of content from scratch.
While you are at it, mix up your content types – with videos, images and text – to surprise and engage your audience.
3. Align content with trending topics
Facebook News Feed algorithms bump up trending topics. They stay on top of the News Feed longer — so more users are more likely to interact. And posts with greater interaction in turn rise up the News Feed.
4. Use videos to educate and entertain
Video is the new photo, at least when it comes to social media marketing. Photos used to have the best reach, but now videos have taken top spot.
Use videos to tell your stories, with an emotional arc and sign off with a persuasive CTA. Your viewers will not forget you.
Look at what happens with a show like John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight. His segment on Net Neutrality was so informative and entertaining that the video went viral. What’s more, the CTA was so persuasive that Federal Communications Commission website crashed due to the heavy traffic of viewers lodging complaints.
Do you have any more ideas on how to keep your brand reach high on Facebook? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more: Social Media Marketing solutions from GetIT Comms.
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