As we head into 2018 with full force a lot has been made of the changes within Facebook. In this continually shifting and evolving social landscape, with new algorithms being released periodically. These algorithms tweak the Facebook experience for end-users: sometimes almost unnoticeable. We tell you what you need to know about the latest changes, and why your business will be affected!
If you are still using just Facebook as your primary means of business marketing, then you need to rethink your strategy. We’re not trying to scare-monger here, but you need to ensure that not all your eggs are in one basket and that if social media is where you’ve decided to put your main focus then you are using more than one platform, but still based on where your target market is. Why? Because with every algorithm shift, Mark Zuckerberg is making a genuine effort to angle his social media platform away from online advertising and back into the realm of true social networking and more personal connections. In fact, Zuckerberg has taken it one step further, explaining that passive consumption of social media is detrimental to our mental well being – a hot topic for discussion. We tend to agree with him on this one, which is why we don’t see his algorithm changes as being negative: we simply have to react ahead of time!
How to engage with your Facebook market in 2018
Yes, the latest 2018 Facebook algorithm shift is deprioritising business posts. Yes, this will impact your business, but only if you have been simply posting without engaging. What does this mean? Engaging with your followers entails a more active and ‘real’ approach, using more unique personality within your videos and posts to encourage interaction. Before you start thinking about shortcuts, no, you can’t force your readers to comment on a post. this is called ‘engagement-bait’ and Facebook is all over it. So, your snappy ‘comment to win’ posts are being seriously red-flagged (they have been for a while now!) and will cause you no end of trouble if you don’t give them up! Being creative is the key as is mixing things up and not just sharing other people’s posts or links. As is ensuring that you are capturing data and information that you can use to further engage with your target market.
Interactive video content Facebook loves
What’s the answer? In a nutshell, videos and genuinely engaging, reactive posts. Yes, you might need to put yourself in the limelight (or you can use one of your more camera-happy employees!). The live video movement has gained traction due to the ability for people to instantly react throughout your feed, making Facebook see these videos as more social and less promotional. Use them to explore a new service, to ‘unbox’ a new product, to discuss concepts or simply to reach out and chat. You can answer comments as they stream, and engage, engage, engage!
Your posts should have a similar, fresh feel to them. It’s all about increasing engagement, not collecting followers! It’s ok to have a smaller base of followers – if your posts are gaining more comments and interactions, then the friends of those who comment will also become viewers, and Facebook will be more inclined to show your post on newsfeeds.
