23 Apr (Surprise!) Facebook Algorithm Changes Likely to Reduce Brand Impressions
Hold on to your britches, we have shocking news! Facebook has made changes to their algorithm (again…) that could result in a significant reduction in earned impressions. Now that the (ahem) shock has worn off, here’s what you need to know.
The latest Facebook algorithm changes were designed to create more of a balance between what users see from friends, businesses and community organizations in their News Feed. As a result, three major updates were announced.
Relaxing the multiple post rule.
Previously, Facebook prevented you from seeing multiple posts from the same source consecutively on the timeline. This could actually be a benefit to brands, as users may see more of your content when scrolling through their News Feed.
Content from friends is prioritized.
As brands, this is not the best news. Facebook will now serve up photos, videos, status updates or links from friends higher up in News Feed. This could potentially mean content from Pages will see even less reach, which (again) seems to be the ongoing trend with Facebook.
Stories from friends liking or commenting on a post will appear lower in the News Feed.
Again, brands are not going to feel the love with this change. Pushing these stories lower in the timeline means brands and other Page publishers could lose reach. Shares now appear to be the most important way for people outside your network to potentially see your content. Does this mean you should care less about Likes and Comments? Absolutely not. Single impressions are still building imperative brand relationships and loyalty and continue to be key metrics.
So, you’re saying that I may miss a Mrs. Biggles story in the future? Who will start my Thursday with cuteness?
Although the first update may work to a brand’s advantage, the other two changes are a concern. As Facebook so kindly put it,
“The impact of these changes on your page’s distribution will vary considerably depending on the composition of your audience and your posting activity. In some cases, post reach and referral traffic could potentially decline.”
Well, that’s fun.
Adjusting Your Facebook Strategy for the New Algorithm
There’s a strong likelihood that impressions gained virally will see a decrease, especially for some brands that have not maintained high relevancy to their existing audience.
You’ll need to keep an eye on your metrics and note any key changes over the next few weeks. In the meantime, remember that it always comes down to great content. As the battle for reach continues, content remains at the front line.
What are some things brands can do to increase relevance with their audience?
- Like, Comment, and Share call-to-actions can help, but can burn out quickly and can get flagged negatively by Facebook’s algorithm, so use them sparingly. Instead, use content that actively engages users through open-ended questions and brand-relevant topics
What traveler can resist a fun travel riddle?
- Produce content that your fans want to see and interact with. Stay relevant, maintain a consistent image and message, and be interesting. Stagnation will lead to further declines.
- Use Facebook’s Power Editor to leverage Dark Posts. We know that Facebook continues to change the game when it comes to organic content and who sees your posts. Leveraging small budgets to highly relevant and targeted audiences (including your current fans!) can engage an audience that you already have, but may not be seeing your content. Reinvigorate those users with dark posts and their engagement with that content may bring them back into your feed organically.
- Create shareable content as Shares will be a key way to get your content seen by people outside your network. How do you create shareable content? Great question! We have a follow-up blog post coming out this Monday that will provide you awesome tips for getting your content shared. Stay tuned!
What do you think of the latest Facebook changes?
