There’s been a marked change over the course of the last year for Facebook. The focus on personal relationships and community, and the changes in algorithms to support this, have impacted on how businesses reach their target audience. And many users have taken a conscious decision to reevaluate how they use the platform in the wake of the numerous scandals that Facebook as faced.
We’ve also already seen a rebrand with a new logo and redesign. And Facebook Messenger has also seen a revamp with the app looking much more like Snapchat or Instagram stories. But the changes in Facebook aren’t just skin deep.
In the early part of 2019 the platform announced that it would be shifting its focus much more heavily to community and privacy. By focusing more on events and groups – 2 of its more popular features – Facebook would continue to be more meaningful to its users on a daily basis. The whole redesign of the platform lends itself to the community focus, with easy access to groups from the left-hand sidebar and adding a groups quick button to the top of the app.
In terms of privacy, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the organisation would shift from public communication to private, encrypted services. These changes are consistent with Facebook’s stated goal of not being “total time spent, but time well spent” which means relevant content that you’re engaged with and interested in. One way the platform is showcasing its commitment to greater transparency is through the new “Why am I seeing this?” button at the top right of every post. It means that you can see exactly why each post is showing up on your News Feed, and why particular ads are showing to you, including the whole trail of how your information reached that point.
What all this means is that as a business, organic reach isn’t quite the same powerhouse as it once was. You’ll need to work a little hard and a little smarter to make the platform work for your business and show up in people’s feeds.
So what can you do about it? How do you help your business to continue to make strides in the increasingly difficult Facebook world?
Our top 3 tips are:
Videos. And not just any videos. Facebook will positively promote videos that are original and of high quality – especially if they are longer than 3 minutes. We’ve spoken before about how videos are racing ahead in terms of interaction & therefore positioning on most social media platforms and Facebook is no different. It’s why they added the stories feature in the first place. Embrace it and your business will feel the benefit.
Ads. If you haven’t yet looked into Facebook ads then now could be the time – after all, organic reach is now almost non-existent, so investing a little marketing budget to advertise to your audience on the devices they use every day makes perfect sense. There are some basic rules to follow but otherwise test out what works for your business within your relevant audience and keep working at it.
Copy is key. Interesting, relevant content that your audience engages with is what you’re after. This is the best way to ensure that your audience stays with you and your content is shared.
For help with Facebook and all your social media needs, SocialBee could be all the buzz you need. Whether you need training to run your social media like a pro or you just want it taken care of for you, we’re ready to help your business grow.