If you’ve been online at all the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard that Facebook has once again made major changes to its algorithm. The controversial new changes are being welcomed with open arms by some while others are not happy about the newest changes. In all fairness, it seems as if Facebook’s changes really cater to the individual users allowing them to have more of an impact on what they will and will not see.
The important thing to note is that an algorithm altered to be in more favor of the user does not have to be negative for business page owners. This is just another testament to the importance of producing and uploading interesting, engaging and valuable content that your target audience will look forward to seeing and be encouraged to see more.
Here is a quick breakdown on what is new in users’ newsfeeds.
It is now possible for more than one of the same business page’s posts to appear in the newsfeed of a single user. So how can businesses benefit? The key is to post great content to engage users. If the user engages with your page in the form of likes, comments or shares, this will encourage the algorithm to expose the user to more content from your page.
The first posts users will see on their newsfeeds will be posts from their Facebook friends. Advertising will not appear at the top of the newsfeed. This is another change that champions users and makes Facebook more of a personal experience. While it can’t be said whether this change came into effect due to negative feedback from users, it is clear that this change towards more user-friendly content can improve Facebook’s image with consumers. The success of Instagram attests to this importance.
Finally, if someone likes or comments on your content, this content will no longer appear in the newsfeeds of their friends. While this can be disappointing for businesses, it is understandable how this was easy to get out of hand and clutter users’ newsfeeds with content they didn’t want to see. This change is a bonus to the Facebook user and a challenge to businesses to rely on other means to make their content spread or go viral.
Facebook’s newest algorithm only reminds us of the cardinal rule of online marketing today – high quality content is key. If we want to social media to market to audiences, we have to play by Facebook’s rules and keep customers and prospects happy with high quality postings.
