Yes, unfortunately your organic reach will probably drop. The good news? These changes forces brands to up their content game. We've been preaching quality over quantity for years, and that earning engagement online is like winning the Stanley Cup of social media, and platforms are finally getting on board.
How can your brand stand out with these changes?
·
Comments = King
The new algorithm favours authentic engagement above
everything else. Not only should you be taking the time to comment on others
posts, but you should focus your posts on asking thought provoking questions and
encouraging engagement as well.
What not to do:
Increasing engagement does not mean bugging your audience to comment on every. single. post. You wouldn’t do this in real life, so don’t do it online either.
·
Now is the
time to give Facebook Live a try
The keyword here is live.
According to Mark Zuckerberg “live videos often lead to discussion among
viewers on Facebook – in fact, live videos on average get six times as many
interactions as regular videos.”
What not to do: Of
coure this isn’t a catchall; use Facebook live when appropriate but don’t
overkill it with irrelevant topics. Does your breakfast really need to be
shared on Facebook live? Probably not.
·
Personal
branding is where it’s at
Think outside the box of your business page. Use your
personal account to build relationships and reach people. If you are an
entrepreneur or business owner, it’s pretty much expected that you eat,
breathe, and live your business, so why not spark conversations with your network
about ideas or hear their suggestions?
What not to do: There’s a fine line between promoting your
biz and spamming. Building relationships does not mean talking about your biz
24/7; it’s about nurturing your current connections through a wide range of
personal and professional conversations.
·
Be a good
listener
Listening skills are going to be even more important with
these changes. The only way to have an accurate pulse on who your audience
actually is, is to listen to them. Take the time to hear what they care about,
what they’re talking about, and where they spend their time online.
What not to do: Don’t forget to listen to your competitors
too. You probably share an audience, so if they aren’t talking about you, they
just might be talking about them.
Facebook returning to it’s roots means that your
brand should as well. Think back on the classic building blocks of relationships and communications – creating trust, two-way conversations, and
transparency.
Social media doesn't replace real relationships; it merely provides a medium to further them. The key here is to treat your online relationships the same as you would if you were face to face, and by the sounds of it, this new algorithm will reward real relationships accordingly and help cut out the fake news.
What do you think of these changes? Do you have any concerns?
