Some business owners are calling it Facebook Armageddon. Others are calling it a much-needed overhaul of how Facebook presents content to users throughout the world. What are we calling it? Time to adjust how your business is communicating with your customers.

What Is Facebook Changing?

Facebook will be changing their proprietary weighting algorithm so that posts from brands and businesses will be minimized. Instead of using likes, comments and shares to predict what users want to see, Facebook’s news feed will be putting family and friend posts above any business or page posts. If you noticed your organic post reach decreasing over the past few months, now is the time to prepare for an even more dramatic drop.

What Will Change Look Like for You?

Engagement will drop up to 80%. If you currently get 200-400 likes on posts to your group of 2,000 page followers, you will now get 40-80 likes instead. If you currently use Facebook ads to get in front of your target audience, that space will also cost a premium. Expect advertising costs to rise and have a lower return on investment.

How Can You Adapt?

Thankfully, there are many ways that your business can adapt to Facebook’s algorithm change.

  • Prioritize quality content and engaging with users. If users engage with what you’re posting and like, comment or share (without being baited to do so), your post will be boosted by the algorithm.
  • Encourage your followers to utilize the “See First” option in their preferences.
  • Add more to your advertising budget. If you aren’t able to get your marketing off the ground with organic reach, you might need to rely on paid reach for a while.
  • Utilize live streaming features like Facebook Live, as live videos will still be prioritized in the new news feed.
  • Invest in other social media channels. While Facebook might seem like the end all be all of small business marketing, there are many other platforms you can use including LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
  • Partner with an experienced social media content company like My Content Co to get valuable insights into how to grow your social media despite the changes. 

Partner with My Content Co for Your Small Business Social Media Marketing

My Content Co knows great small business marketing, just like you know your small business. Partner with us to see how adaptive and effective your social media marketing can be. Visit us online or contact us today at 410-324-3934 to get started.