Why Facebook is following Googles Lead…
Facebook Fear
The newest Facebook algorithm has people freaking out.
“My Business already has low reach! Now no one will see it!”
“Now I will have to pay to be seen with ads and I have no idea how to do that!”
“No one is going to see my content that I work so hard to produce!”
These are all valid concerns but over the last several years if you have been paying attention you would have realized that Facebook has been catering to the user more and more. Users have the potential to see over 1500 different posts in their feed on any given day! “Facebook say they look at thousands of factors to decide which stories to display in an attempt to show users the content that is most relevant.” Most Relevant – sound familiar?
Google Leads the Way
Google started paying attention to user experience a LONG time ago and because of that many “SEO experts” were demoted and even got websites penalized. Black Hat tactics such as the ones below were now watched for and websites would lose their ranking if caught using them.
· Unrelated Keywords
· Keyword Stacking and Keyword Stuffing
· Tiny Text, Hidden Text, and Hidden Links
· Doorway Pages or Gateway Pages
· Bait-and-Switch or Page Swapping
· Duplicate Content or Mirror Site
Companies had to play fair and start to cater to the USER! What a concept. Websites now have to have original content, applicable keywords that apply to the company offers and services and most recently a mobile-friendly site. Again, all based on the user and how they interact and search.
Facebook has found that, like Google, their user’s experiences were becoming more and more dissatisfying. Cat Videos, Fake News and Advertisers have taken over the feeds and the original vision of Facebook to connect people, was no longer forefront. Like many users, friends and families stay connected on Facebook and for them sharing images from vacations, blogs that inspired or businesses they love to talk about is a priority over a spammy housecleaning ad or funny viral video.
Facebook Catches Up with Google
In 2017 “Facebook had received many complaints from users about the amount of spam-related posts that incentivize or promote engagement through their posts.” These type of changes have been in the making for months to ensure that the user receives the content they have engaged with and not get spammed by contests, promotions and like and share bait posts.
The recent change is good news for the Facebook User! The feed is going to be much more tailored to you and not so spammy. Businesses are going to have to be creative and engaging. Mark Zuckerberg stated, “I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”
What is a Meaningful Social Interaction?
Businesses cannot be lazy or sneaky with their postings anymore. Share and Like to win a prize is not going to cut it. Organic, creative content that is relevant and timely should be the highest priority. Users will be more likely to see your Facebook posts if their friends and families are commenting and engaging with the posts. Asking questions, posting relevant content or asking for opinions on different topics will help the reach and engagement.
Don’t forget the user has control! For instance, the user can choose to “SEE FIRST” the pates they have chosen to follow. This option is still available and your business can encourage their likes to first turn into followers followed by a simple click to choose to see first the content that is posted. As you can see in the image below the process to SEE FIRST is easy and it’s something you can share with your audience to ensure they don’t miss out on your promotions, contests and events.
If you can and have the guts, a video is the BEST form of meaningful social interaction. Facebook video is watched, shared and engaging most of the time. Facebook Live receives high engagement and does generate conversations. This is how you get seen organically and increase your reach with very low cost on the business. Like Google, you have an opportunity to get a top spot with paid ads and we would suggest using Facebook Live and then promoting that as a video ad.
In conclusion, the main point is that being online is not about spamming news feeds and search engines with bad links or fake information to get more traffic to your website or Facebook page. It’s about creating content that is valuable for the user. For example, if someone loves sports cars and you offer a detail service for sports cars you have a BIG opportunity to provide some great content that will reach them. Do a Facebook Live showing off the detailing process and the boost it as an ad to sport car lovers in your area. It's relevant, engaging and exactly what they want.
As with Google Search engines – if you play the game fair and follow the rules you will be seen. Study your user! See what they need, may be interested in and what is trending in your industry, then cater to that! Facebook is a great opportunity so don't be scared of the latest algorithm update... go with the flow of change and you will end up in the front of the pack!