Do you use Facebook to promote your business, and are wondering how the recent Facebook algorithm changes will affect your marketing? I loved this social media marketing podcast episode by Michael Stelzner, interviewing Mari Smith and Jay Baer, who share some thoughts on the recent Facebook algorithm changes and give some tips on what should you do about it.
As AdAge writes, “Facebook is being more blunt about the fact that marketers are going to have to pay for reach. If they haven’t already, many marketers will soon see the organic reach of their posts on the social network drop off, and this time Facebook is acknowledging it. In a sales deck obtained by Ad Age that was sent out to partners last month, the company states plainly: “We expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline over time as we continually work to make sure people have a meaningful experience on the site.”
In December, an article by Ignite Social Media showed that brands saw massive declines in organic reach that month. Jay Baer says that a large number of brands on Facebook have seen a decline in organic reach, but there are other brands that have not been impacted by the change at all. – What was your experience? Did you notice a decline, or not?
Mari Smith says – and I agree – you can have brand loyalty no matter what size your business is. What is important is the quality content and how much your fans engage with it.
How to see how your organic reach is doing, and how to work on it? Don’t forget to regularly check your Facebook Insights to see how your content is performing, and most importantly, which content is better perceived by your fans. That way you can plan your Facebook strategy accordingly and offer your fans a content they enjoy, find useful, and engage in.
Jay Baer doesn’t think the new changes on Facebook are necessarily a reason to be concerned. He feels it’s the natural evolution of what was formerly an immature industry, which is now more mature. It’s becoming more about the media and less about the social. It’s not as if Facebook doesn’t work anymore, it’s just different than it was before. Mary Smith adds that besides advertising, she has put a lot more money into community building. She has developed a reputation for being someone who responds and now has a team whose sole job it is to respond to questions on her fan page. – Question for you: Do you use your social media channels only for promoting your content, or to really engage with your fans and community?
You can listen to the entire podcast here, or see more notes from it on the Social Media Examiner page here. Cover image via Mashable.
You can post your questions related to Facebook marketing in the comments below, or on our Facebook page, and I’ll be happy to help you solve it.
