Web Marketers and Business Owners: Have you seen a decline in your Facebook Business Page engagement (likes, comments, reach) over the last 6 months?
We’ve been monitoring many of our clients’ accounts and we certainly have. Here is why this is happening.
Facebook Wants to “Bring People Closer Together” (and that’s AOK!)
As we moved into 2018, Facebook announced that the original intention was to “bring people closer together” and their algorithm for the News Feed would be changing to show more “meaningful posts from … friends and family”. The plan was to prioritize posts based on those that “sparked interactions” between people. As they rolled these updates out, Business Pages that posted “public content” would be shown on a limited basis in the News Feed. One exception: if a person specifically selected to “See First” their favorite Business Pages in their News Feed Preferences.
Should I Still Market My Business on Facebook?
The simple answer is “Yes” but this may mean shifting your strategy.
Before we talk about strategy, here are three valid reasons to continue publishing posts (even if it is scaled-back from before):
- Your Business Page may be a “See First” page in some of your fan’s News Feeds and therefore your posts will still be seen by your biggest fans.
- People who visit your Business Page will see your posts.
- If past posts have garnered engagement, there is a chance that your posts will show up in the News Feed of those who have interacted with your posts.
Embrace New Facebook Marketing Strategies
We couldn’t agree more with these new winning Facebook marketing strategy tips (from an article by Martech Advisor) – that do not cost extra money and are backed by credible data – as summarized here:
- Get into Other Feeds: Find Facebook Groups “that are relevant to your business, and use those to engage with people productively”. Don’t spam or be too “commercial”. Use the Groups to build your credibility and promote your expertise.
- Get Visual: According to Facebook, “live videos get six times as many interactions as regular videos.” Play around with new, original, visual content like infographics, videos, GIFs, etc., Avoid extra heavy text (especially without anything visual to support it).
- Focus on Influencers: Influencers are people who have a very large following. If they are passionate about your business, a product of yours, or something that is aligned with what you offer, approach them directly and ask them to share your posts. Fans are also a great resource. “Reach out directly to some of your biggest fans who have already been commenting on your posts, and ask them to share your content or invite people to your events”.
- Test Changes to Your Creative Content: Post the same thing with a “slight adjustment in the color or layout or format” and test the type of response you get when posting on different days / times of the week. You might be surprised to find out that what you thought worked in the past, works better at a different time or in a different format now.
Facebook and Social Media Strategy Tips from WMT
Number one, no stress. This is the web folks – the only constant is change! Try taking a chance on something new:
- Try Facebook Advertising: One way to guarantee that your post will appear in the News Feed is to buy advertising space on Facebook. These ads look like regular posts with the exception of a tiny note that says “Sponsored”. There are many formats and goals of the ad campaigns such as sending people to a webpage outside of Facebook or garnering more “Likes” for your Page. Advertising can be done in small batches, with a relatively small budget, to test different formats and audiences. Bonus: Facebook ads automatically get shown in Instagram’s News Feed and Stories.
- Boost Your Facebook Post: Any individual post you publish can be boosted. You can target to whom you want your post shown and how much you want to spend. If you are feeling hesitant about committing to Facebook advertising, boosting a post is great way to dip your toes in.
- Build Your Instagram Following: It is a known fact that teens and young adults are shying away from Facebook so start building up your Instagram following to engage in those under 35. Don’t forget to use hashtags!
If you want to explore new Facebook and/or social media marketing strategies, Web Marketing Therapy is here to help you take your marketing in a better direction. Get in touch with WMT today.
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