Facebook's newest algorithm change will potentially reduce organic reach for business pages, as Facebook draws a deeper line between personal posts and unpaid business posts. As of April 21, 2015, Facebook quietly made the following changes to user news feeds:
1. Priority is now given to personal content from family and friends. A user's news feed will give priority to Grumpy Cat memes from their Aunt Sophie, while your new listing will show further down the thread.
2. Posts in news feeds with active comments will no longer default to the top of the feed. In other words, if a user isn't part of that conversation, the post will not be given priority. This means that there are fewer "second chances" to win engagement.
3. Facebook will allow more content from the same publisher to be shown in a news feed. Your posts might not have priority placement in the feed, but the user is likely to see more of your posts. Note, however, that this applies mostly to users who have less content showing in their news feeds to begin with.
As with all proprietary algorithms, there is no transparency into how the logistics are applied. It's hard to predict the impact of the above changes, but Facebook admits that organic reach could decline for some pages. In their own words: "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."
Before you find yourself too discouraged about Facebook, remember that this social media behemoth has about 1.35 billion users worldwide. Also, while Facebook is an important part of your online presence, it is not a stand-alone solution. You must have an online marketing strategy to reach your market, your audience and deliver your message through multiple channels.
During the first few months of 2015, there have already been many changes in how Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Google perform for your business. Need help keeping up with it all? Contact RealSupport for custom-tailored solutions for your online marketing needs!
Bonita Breit
Copywriting & Marketing Specialist
RealSupport, Inc.
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