Facebook “Purge”? Call It More Of A Rebalancing Act.

What’s that? Facebook made a big change to its news feed? I hadn’t noticed. Just kidding.

Here we go. If a big social media channel makes a change to its algorithm, you know that there will be a massive reaction to it. Some will even swear it off prematurely.

We’ve been here before. Over and over again. We’ll be here again. Every time a change is made to any platform, I’ve heard things over the years like:

“Why did you make this change, Facebook! I’m moving to Google Plus!”

“Wha – LinkedIn changed its interface? Unconscionable! I’m leaving and never coming back.”

So let’s get some needed perspective on this latest change from Facebook to its algorithm. If you’re a marketer, I’d like you to take that hat off for a minute. Cool? I’ll take mine off too. We’ll put them over here in the corner and come back for them, I promise.

Now then. Can we be real with one another here?

The Facebook feed experience for a consumer was getting, well, a little out of whack.

Sure, you wanted to hear from brands that you were a “Fan” of. But did you want to hear from 8 damn brands in a row and then finally see a post from one of your friends? I didn’t. Yet, there it was. For every post or comment from a friend or family member, I was seeing a waterfall of brand messages. It was getting annoying. It wasn’t anything that would stop me from going to Facebook multiple times a day, mind you. Still, the experience was not the same as it used to be. It was, in a word, unbalanced.

This is what I mean when I say the algorithm change that Facebook made is a rebalancing. It’s putting the ratio back to where it should be, hopefully. As a user, you should be seeing your friends and family’s post as much as brands, if not a little more so. Do you want Facebook to resemble one of those magazines where over 50% are comprised of ads? It doesn’t make for an enjoyable experience. You want balance.

OK. Let’s pick up the marketer hat again.

And for Heaven’s sake, breathe. This is not a freakin’ “Purge” or “destruction of Pages” that I’m reading about in reference to the change to the Facebook feed. But what I’m about to say may feel like a shock: 

If you want to be seen more in someone’s feed…you may have to pay more often for the privilege. At least a little more often where appropriate.

This is actually the way it has always been for decades.

Want to be more visible in a magazine? Pay more for a bigger ad. Want a better chance of being heard on the radio? Pay more and get a longer spot. Want to be seen on TV over most other brands? Give us a few million and we’ll get you on the Super Bowl for a whole 30 seconds.

Don’t kid yourself that a digital world means it’s any different.

Pay more and you’ll get seen – possibly even have a bunch of folks click through to your website while you’re at it too.

Let’s remember something else about the likes of Facebook or LinkedIn. We’re talking about publicly traded companies that want to make money for their investors and will find a way to do so, even as they encourage an algorithm change that may favor the natural visibility of people over brands.

So, at least on a selective basis, you may have to consider how to incorporate Facebook Boosts. And possibly Facebook Ads. But you know what? You’ll still probably pay a hell of a lot less than AdWords (not that I dislike AdWords) while doing it.

All the while, as you’re doing that, your content has to be of great quality that tends to resonate with something going on in your audience’s life that they’re facing. That said, if your team happened to participate in a volunteer effort at Feed My Starving Children or Habitat for Humanity, perhaps putting 50 bucks toward a Boosted post might not be a bad thing now and then either. There’s going to be some experimentation and testing along the way of best response but this can be done cost-effectively.

Again, this is what I refer to when I speak of having perspective on what could be more of a rebalancing. Like so many other changes social media channels make, you’re typically better to ponder how to adjust to it (and the adjustment may not be as major as you think) rather than be lured into panicking.

A “Page Purge” across all Facebook feeds? No. Sorry. I don’t see that. Standing still? I don’t quite see that either.

Pivot. Test. Adjust. Keep moving.

One more thing – an important and huge thing.

Don’t forget that the website and blog you own is, well, what you own. It is the Home Base that you have control of, much like your brand’s message and who you choose to share it with. Look, social media channels are going to make their changes. Count on it. But all the while, what sort of content are you creating that others may find compelling and meaningful? THAT’S a key place to focus your energy. THAT’S within your control. What Facebook does to its algorithm is out of your control. You can choose to respond accordingly with what you may or may not invest in that network (if Facebook is even appropriate for your strategy) but that’s still more reactionary regardless.

Let me conclude by giving you a hypothetical:

What if Facebook or LinkedIn was gone in a year? Where would your brand be then?

Unlikely, I know, but what if one of them disappeared in favor of a newcomer that rose up in this fast-moving landscape of digital companies? Would you pivot or would you panic?

If you’re throwing your hands up in the air over what a change to one social media channel means for your entire brand, even a big change, it might really be high time to take a closer look at your brand strategy.

Should that be something you’d like to explore, talk to Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing about a Total Online Presence Audit today. Visit us at www.HighCaliberBranding.com.