Facebook’s latest algorithm changes and what to do about it
We were reading an article last week that reported changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm have had 3 interesting (and intended) outcomes.
- It has cut the amount of time users spend on the platform
- The number of daily active users increased by 14%
- Their ad ad revenue grew by 49%
In Mark Zukerberg’s words “Facebook isn’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being and for society…In total, we made changes that reduced time spent on Facebook by roughly 50 million hours every day. By focusing on meaningful connections, our community and business will be stronger over the long term.”
The imminent change of Facebook’s personal and explore feeds in Australia, and in particular the reduction of organic reach for brands, have many worried we know. However, we often like to challenge doom and gloom with a Pollyanna lens here at Tiny Hunter, so here’s our thinking…
OWN YOUR COMMUNITY.
This change reinforces a point of view we have long supported and advised our clients on. Building a strong email list that you own is invaluable and allows a great channel to communicate. Don’t think of your EDM as that annoying thing that has to be done each week/fortnight/month. It is an opportunity to take the time to say to your community ‘Hey, Thanks for choosing us, we hope you stick around, we really appreciate you guys’. Email is also statistically one of the highest performing channels when it comes to ROI, giving you a direct line to those who have already chosen to hear from you.
GET CREATIVE WITH HOW YOU USE FACEBOOK.
Yes you will be more reliant on ads on Facebook now but think how much cleaner the feed is – this is your chance to shine! Invest in research and strategy that clearly defines your target audience; their desires, fears, motivations, needs so that when they see your ad they laugh/cry/drool/admire – whatever emotion it might be – but they instantly know – this brand gets me and it stops them scrolling further down and makes them take action.
There are still ways to gain organic reach on Facebook: try setting up a Facebook group (which still appears in the main news feed) and encouraging valuable and useful conversation between members and ensure you focus on video content (Facebook’s algorithm favours video, especially live)
CHALLENGE PRECONCEPTIONS.
Influencer marketing has been a little ‘Wild West’ for a while – not so many rules and a bit nerve-wracking as to how it will go and whether it is worth the investment. Many also believe it has to be a large investment with extremely high profile influencers to really make an impact. Not so, we say. Not so.
We have been keeping an eye on Tribe Group for a while now. It’s really easy to use and offers great transparency and clarity for both brands and influencers they would like to engage. Brands upload a brief for the type of content they would like, along with their preference for age, gender, target region and interests of potential influencers. It is free to post your brief and receive submissions – you only pay if you choose to accept one or many of the submissions and the price per submission is clearly outlined by the influencer.
This offers a great way to organically reach your community through Facebook.
CONTENT WINS.
This can never be a bad thing, a brand that truly understands it’s customers is in a strong position to create relevant, engaging content, that connects and inspires. If you’d like to chat more about this just let us know, we like nothing more than to drink coffee and talk about how your brand can best connect with your desired audience.
Written by: Jo Whelan
Published: February 6, 2018