The New Facebook Update – What does it mean for my Business?

On January 11th 2018, Mark Zuckerberg announced a new Facebook update, to shake business activity. This will change the way businesses and personal users interact on the network. It will primarily affect the news feed, where users see posts from their friends and pages that they follow. Facebook wants to increase social interactions between friends and reduce the number of ads and business posts that users see.

Why is this New Facebook Update Happening?

Teenagers on mobile phonesFewer people are actively using Facebook. Younger people favour the likes of Instagram and Snapchat. And, Facebook users have complained about an increase in ads and ‘fake news’ dominating their news feeds. Keeping it personal for users, whilst making revenue from advertising is a big challenge. Facebook is always tinkering with its algorithms, striving to get that perfect balance. But, this is one of the more significant updates, with a big announcement made by the CEO.

As the update is rolled out over the next few months, users are likely to see fewer business posts in their news feed. Facebook will give less visibility to website links and videos, and priority to posts that spark conversations and engagement between friends.

So, what can you do to make your Business stand out?

If your business relies heavily on social media marketing, don’t panic! There are a few things you can do to ensure you stay visible on Facebook.
how to select See First on a Facebook business page

  1. Encourage your likers and followers to select ‘see first’ on your page, under the ‘following’ tab. This will ensure that they see more of your posts near the top of their news feeds.
  2. Think carefully about what you are posting. It’s better to publish fewer, more engaging posts, that will get people commenting and interacting with each other.
  3. Share different types of content. Instead of posting photos, videos and links to your website, try asking engaging questions, creating events and broadcasting live video. All of these things are more interactive and will be given greater visibility.
  4. Create a group on a relevant topic and link it to your page. You can also join existing groups to share content. Groups encourage interactions and discussion between members and will be prioritised with the new Facebook update.
  5. Consider increasing the amount of paid advertising you do. As organic reach is reduced for business pages, sponsored posts and ads will become an even more important way to stay visible.

Keep your eye on the ball

Social media and digital marketing is a game that is constantly changing. And, good marketers know that embracing change is the only way to grow your business. As the new Facebook update is rolled out, we will get a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t. So, keep using Facebook and your other social channels. Post lots of different types of content and analyse what gets the most engagement for you.

Don’t forget, we are always on hand if you need some specialist help with social media. Check back here for more digital marketing tips and updates and stay ahead of the game. Like POSH Communication on Facebook and select ‘see first’ to make sure you keep seeing our posts.