Unveiled: Facebook's changes for January 2015. How will they affect your business page?
Facebook's reasoning is that they have researched into what people want and do not want to see in their news feeds. (Granted the extra ad revenue from extra boosted posts might have just a little bit to do with it!)
Facebook says: “This change will not increase the number of ads people see in their news feeds… it is about giving people the best Facebook experience possible and being responsive to what they have told us.”
(Facebook's original post on this can be found here)
Regardless of Facebook's motives, this will be happening from January 2015 so businesses must prepare for it or notice a sudden drop in reach.
What to avoid to ensure your posts are still seen?
According to the survey, there are some consistent traits that make the posts feel too promotional:
Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app
Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context
Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads
Avoiding posts consisting of the above is the first step in ensuring your reach does not decrease. You may also want you to follow these guidelines so that your page can continue to thrive:
Be consistent with your postings Plan, plan and plan some more! Using a content calendar is great for social media, especially Facebook. From this you can schedule your posts, be prepared to highlight your business and product news and create engaging posts which show how amazing your business is.
Target your posts Facebook offers the opportunity to target your posts by gender, relationship status, educational status, age, location, language etc. Use this to your advantage, ensure your targeted followers are receiving the information you want them to have!
Keep it fresh! No one wants to see the same information used over and over again, or the same meme which you may have sneaked from a competitor. Keep your images and your content original and fresh.
Use images as well as words The right use of images and copy which reflect your business objectives can grab your audiences attention, and keep them interested. Use high quality images, keep sentences short and to the point, and avoid any kind of promotional phrases: “Get it now!” - You can always test to see how effective each post is how much engagement and interaction they receive; at first it could be trial and error, but once you’ve found the perfect formula for your audience you’re on the road to success!
If you would like any more advice on the use of social media for your business, or you would like Aware Communications to help you please contact us.
