What Facebook’s New Algorithms Mean for You
Most marketing experts agree – if you’re not leveraging Facebook for your small to medium business, you’re leaving money on the table. Unfortunately, Facebook’s new algorithm is going to make that money a little harder to get. When Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, announced changes to the social media giant’s platform, most of us were hoping for less fake news, but it also filters out some ads and sponsored content that even Facebook users agree to follow.
Why Facebook’s Changes Matter
Facebook’s new algorithms preference personal interactions over business content. One work around can fix this, but it may require some extra energy. The trick? Make your content good.
We’re not talking quality as much as shareability – that thing that happens that tickles or excites someone enough to share it with friends and family. All your content should be quality, but if it’s not shareable – meaning if people don’t find it entertaining enough to comment on or share – it won’t get the attention you want it to from Facebook’s crawlers. This “shareability” factor is the most crucial aspect of the new algorithm changes – it informs every other thing you do.
Your content should work toward active engagement rather than passive engagement. It isn’t enough for users to follow you – they must like and comment and share what you are posting
How to Increase Engagement
The idea is that Facebook is prioritizing more personal interactions, but it’s figuring out what’s personal by the number of comments, likes, shares, messenger shares, and other types of engagement.
Here are a few ways to increase engagement and keep your content at the top of your users’ feeds.
- Use Video to Get User’s Attention
Since video shared on social media gets more attention, it makes sense for businesses to leverage this kind of content to ensure more interaction. Think about this – while I’m trying to make a dollar writing all these words, video traffic makes up 80% of all consumer internet traffic. Maybe I’m in the wrong business.
- Talk Back to Your Base
If Facebook is looking for interactions, the comment section is a great place to start. When you share something discussion-worthy, you are bound to get comments. Encourage the discussion and talk to anyone who leaves a comment – regardless of whether the commenter is a follower. Make sure to talk to the haters as well. Nothing makes a better convert than a former hater. It also is an easy way to create positive interactions.
- Be Creative and Unique
The top of this blog says to make your content good, but that’s only the start. It needs to be good enough to talk about. Figuring out how to get attention is always tricky, and what goes viral is often a mystery. Get your users’ attention and give them a reason to talk and share. That’s what increases engagement and that’s what will get you to the top of the feed again.
Expect Changes
The only thing you can be sure of in the digital age is that nothing stays the same for too long. Expecting change helps your business stay on its toes, but one thing will never change – when you offer entertaining content, you’ll attract more attention.
