Social media isn’t as simple as it used to be. With constant updates and changes, news feeds no longer appear in chronological order and social media platforms monitor your behavior to customize your experience. On a personal level, this is exactly what we want, but from a business standpoint, it seems disastrous. We’re here to tell you— it’s going to be OK.
First things first, when it comes to social media, you have to have a marketing plan. "You can’t just expect people to show up and buy your product. There has to be a marketing plan in place that is going to implement the tool that is Facebook."
In a recent episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing company podcast, Priscilla McKinney and Dan Leadbetter discuss the ever-changing world of digital media. In their conversation, they reveal a few tips to help boost your presence and engagement on Facebook.
If you’ve tuned into the news lately, you’ve heard something about the changes making their way to your Facebook feed. According to their official statement, Facebook will "be making updates to ranking so people have more opportunities to interact with the people they care about.” In other words, news feeds will focus primarily on the content a user’s friends and family are posting. Facebook Business Pages can expect to see less engagement on their organic (and even paid) posts. With the announcement of the update, Facebook warned, “Pages may see their reach, video watch time and referral traffic decrease.”
If you have an active Facebook Business Page, these changes can seem overwhelming. However, when you take a look back on Facebook’s history, you can see the social media platform has gone through several updates and changes and it isn’t something we need to fear. Here’s the break down:
See? Facebook has been continually changing since its launch and we’re still here! If you’re still feeling stressed by all of the changes, read on for Priscilla’s 4 tips for businesses stressed by the new Facebook update:
1. Give to Get
We have to stop pretending that Facebook is a free platform. Like anything in advertising and marketing, in order to see a return, you have to pay a little to get a little.
2. Video, Video, Video
Some types of content do better than others on Facebook. For example, research shows that videos do significantly better than images. When tested, videos have been shown to increase organic reach by 135%!
Here’s another tip...post your video directly to Facebook directly, not a link. Facebook favors Facebook and when you post your videos directly to their platform, they reward that! Any time an external link is included in a post, you can expect to see decreased reach and interaction.
3. Try New Tools
Updates can be good! Besides changes to the algorithm and news feed, Facebook is consistently adding new features - like FB live. Utilize these tools and see what it does for your business.
4. Own Your List
You don't own Facebook... It’s important to understand the difference between owned and leased assets. All of your Facebook likes, fans, comments and connections are leased. You don’t own those contacts. All contacts that come via your website are owned by you! That’s why having “lead magnet” material is important (check out the Little Bird Marketing resource page).
Overall, Facebook likes Facebook and rewards that behavior. When used correctly, Facebook is a valuable tool for your marketing strategy. Digital media and social applications will continue to change. Make sure your marketing strategy remains flexible and shifts with the ever changing media world.
For more insights on digital media, the importance of buyer personas in social media marketing and tips for getting the most out of Facebook advertising, listen to the full episode by clicking the button below!
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