Our knowledge. Your results. Facebook: Surviving the Algorithm Changes Our knowledge. Your results. The algorithm changes – what’s the problem? There was widespread panic when Facebook announced earlier this year that users were likely to see less content from businesses and publishers. Some believed it could be the death knell for the site as business owners re-evaluated whether there was a place within their marketing strategy for the social media network. Here’s how you and your business can stay on top of the changes and make sure your content still reaches the right audience. 2 While it is true that the changes to catch up with friends. They didn’t developers and news organisations the algorithms – the coding which join for fake news, they didn’t join for aren’t welcome. It just means that determine how likely your piece of adverts, and they didn’t join for their businesses need to think more cleverly content is going to be seen on news data to be used by third parties. The about how we reach out to users of feeds – have had some effect, the changes announced by Facebook co- the social media network – one that changes are intended to be positive founder Mark Zuckerberg earlier this for the user experience. year are part of a package of changes still attracts 900,000 logins every Ten years ago Facebook became to try and bring back some of those minute of the day and still remains a prominent social media network values from a decade ago. the biggest compared to any other because young people wanted to It doesn’t mean that businesses, platform used in the UK. 3 What are ‘meaningful interactions’? Facebook says that as part of the changes it is looking to serve users with content that creates ‘meaningful interactions’. This is presently the buzzword used by the company, but what does it actually mean? 4 The premise is pretty simple. Facebook will prioritise the content that has people clicking the like button, the share button, and are creating conversation. It’s the comments that are particularly focused on – where people have gone out of their way to not just click a ‘like’ button but to give their opinion on it. It’s the content that creates an emotional connection - or has led their friends to tag them in it. It makes sense, right? Facebook is essentially deprioritising ‘clickbait’ content and showing people less of the content that doesn’t perform particularly well. 5 How will this work for businesses? 6 The task now is for businesses to Too much text and stock imagery is through smartphones at a fast pace rise to that challenge. In order to not a good way to engage with your – on average we scroll the length of reach new audiences, they must think audience. If you think from your own the Empire State Building every day! outside the box to generate fresh personal experience how you browse It is often the strong social media ideas for using social media. your timelines on any social media headlines, video and eye-catching Of course the network will still be network it tends to be the visual photographs which will entice you to open to businesses that open the content that disrupts your browsing stop and look. cheque book and spend money to journey. Remember we’re all scrolling boost content through their advert system, but this is costly, and if your content isn’t performing well in the first place it isn’t likely to perform much better when it comes to spending money to advertise it to wider audiences. So how can businesses ensure they appear in the newsfeed? The first thing to do is to analyse the type of content you are producing and placing on your Facebook page. If it’s just one type of content it’s time to think outside the box. 7 The power of video 8 Video is by far one of the greatest your company’s logo you can quickly continue to prioritise it after you’ve ways to reach your audience. The create a piece of content that is been live. People comment 10 times social media network is upfront that shareable and will pull in comments more* on live videos than on on- it is prioritising this particular type of and likes. demand videos – just make sure you content as it is visual and a great way have a strong enough purpose to do it Moreover a good Facebook Live is a to get people talking. It no longer or it will fall flat. valuable asset. requires expensive camera equipment Another way to reach audiences is Broadcasting at an event, giving some to produce a decent video – as long through photography. Not everything behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, or as you have an up-to-date mobile will lend itself to video, but thinking phone, a strong internet connection, holding a live question and answer about mixing up your content, and some video editing software you session are all likely to interest your photography which isn’t stock imagery can turn around an engaging video audience. Facebook will notify viewers could perform well for your page. At very quickly. With the right plan, some when a page is live, it will prioritise the very least your page should be captions, and topped and tailed with the video in people’s feeds, and it will enticing for people to click ‘like’. *Source: Facebook, 2016 [https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/blog/trends-facebook-live-and-news-publishers] 9 Seed your content The ‘stories’ feature on Facebook is also a new angle for users of pages to get their message across. 10 Although a relatively new feature, into other social media networks like relevant and engaging content you Facebook stories are one of the very Instagram this could be a way to still might be able to find a way to push first things that people see when engage with audiences in a your subject matter using them. they log on using their mobile phone similar way. You may choose to create your own and land on their newsfeed. Not Moreover, consider how you can seed group to link to your page – but only will users see content from their your content outside of your page. remember this should be for general friends, but they will see content Groups are continuing to grow at a chat around a particular field of from influencers and businesses too. rapid pace, and continue to be so far interest and not just to promote your This feature is likely to become very unaffected by the Facebook algorithm page. For instance, Fred’s World of popular with younger audiences who changes. Posting every piece of are comfortable using Instagram and content in existing Groups (whether Fishing based in Chard, Somerset Snapchat stories, and gives you an it’s for a specialism or a geographic might decide to create a group about opportunity to use both short video as location) is likely to land you in hot fishing in Somerset for other users well as striking imagery with text. For water if it comes across that you to chat in a public domain created those that aren’t ready to take a dive are spamming, but with particularly by you. 11 Review what’s working 12 The insights feature on your Facebook Within the Facebook insights section when the majority of your audience page is the best place to look to find you will start to better understand are online, so remember to use the out what’s working and what isn’t your audiences – finding out who the post scheduler tool to save your best working. Consistently underperforming demographic liking your page is will content until later in the day. content which is not reaching strong help you to tailor your audience for The Facebook insights feature numbers and that fails to create them. Where do they live? How old are also allows you to track up to five engagement may need a rethink. they? Are they male or female? This competitors to find out what they are By contrast, the content that does can make all the difference in deciding have a high reach that does have a what will work for them. doing right to make their pages grow. significant number of video views and You can also find out what times and It can also give you ideas for content good numbers of engagements will be days work best for posting – often that you might want to replicate (in something you want to repeat again. it’s in the evening or at weekends your own style, of course!). 13 So what next? 14 This might all sound like hard work The majority of businesses are content will travel. Moreover the more but it’s not rocket science. Remember social media users and should think visual your content is the more likely that Facebook is trying to keep its about how their own behaviours on it will generate these engagements. large user base on side so it wants all Facebook and considering how it can Whether it’s ditching the stock imagery businesses to respect the principles of be put to good use for promoting their and utilising headlines just for social the social media network, and to use own content. media, utilising video, or making the latest techniques and technology Comments, shares, and likes are all key the most of Facebook Live these are to promote content in the most metrics for determining how successful all ways big businesses are gaining engaging way.