There has been a decline in organic reach for those using Facebook for brand messaging over the past few years. Many in the marketing industry believe they have been slapped in the face by Facebook’s most recent algorithm change after putting in significant effort to produce content that would be favoured by Facebook’s algorithm.

Update on Facebook’s Algorithm

Brand content on Facebook will have a far more difficult time getting viewed in 2018, as Zuckerberg said in January. Priority is being given to content posted by people in your immediate social circle. There are a lot of companies and publications “spraying and praying” their message, so it’s not unexpected that Facebook is attempting to get rid of the irrelevant stuff.

Several businesses, inspired by the success of “growth hacking” on Google, now attempt to trick the algorithm used by Facebook to promote posts. One common tactic is to post photos that are actually GIFs. This is due to the fact that Facebook gives video content higher prominence than photos. Several forms of cheating have been successful up until recently because they have managed to circumvent detection systems.

You Should Promote Interaction… But Avoid Baiting

A crackdown on Facebook’s use of ‘engagement bait’ was announced in the previous year’s December. Here, individuals try to game Facebook’s system by generating more interaction with their posts than is normal by encouraging readers to like and share them. What I mean by these kind of blog entries is laid out below.

After Facebook’s latest algorithm change, the newsfeed will give less attention to postings that are only designed to generate clicks and likes. Facebook claims that its AI can examine content and identify engagement bait. Businesses that regularly provide engaging, high-quality content will not feel the effects.

The trick is to learn about our market, our target demographic, and the trends that shape our sector. Until then, it will be impossible to produce material that will actually resonate with our intended audience.

Advertising on Facebook will now be affected by a new Facebook algorithm.

The Facebook algorithm problem may be circumvented in part by combining owned and sponsored media; in our case, by employing Facebook advertisements to promote our content and boost interaction. Indeed, we are moving into a “pay to play” environment, but there’s no point in lamenting the past.

Because of their refined targeting options, Facebook advertising are quite appealing to business owners. Advertisers on Facebook may narrow their focus by a wide range of factors, including the occupations of their prospective customers.

Then, decide on a spending cap, and last, make the ad. Either an already-existing post or a brand-new ad will do. We may let our imaginations go wild, as Facebook advertising come in a wide variety of forms.

If you’re having trouble organising your ideas, we recommend checking out your website’s traffic sources using Google Analytics. You may also analyse the factors that are leading to increased activity on your social media pages.

Make use of various social media

We’re not suggesting you ignore Facebook altogether, but if our brand’s core demographic isn’t already there, it may be more efficient to direct your attention elsewhere, especially if you’re strapped for time and money. Get yourself a social listening tool and learn how to decode conversations that are already fragmented by medium.

On the most recent webinar, Marie Ennis-O’Connor instructed us in how to locate, develop, and sustain these networks.

Take readings and make adjustments

If we don’t know how well (or not well…) we’re doing today, we can’t enhance our plan and strive for more involvement. Combine information gathered via Meltwater Engage and another social listening service. Make it a monthly goal to report on any changes, favourable or negative.

Likealyzer is a valuable tool for companies who want to increase their organic reach on Facebook by utilising data to inform their strategy. This free web app does analysis and suggestion both. Put the URL of your company’s Facebook business page in the field to get the results.

Conclusion

With any luck, the aforementioned advice will help you keep reaching your intended audience on Facebook despite the most recent algorithm update.

We need to make it a regular part of our responsibilities to keep up with the current developments in the world of social media. This upgrade has been long overdue. Those who kept up with the latest developments in their field would have known about this already and would have been less affected.

To help our readers adapt to the ever-shifting social media world, we’ll be giving timely updates on major social media changes on our blog. Don’t be left in the dark — sign up for our newsletter today!