Facebook Strikes Again: What Brands Need to Know

Facebook is constantly evaluating what a user’s preferred mix of content is in his or her News Feed, so it came as no surprise on Tuesday when the company announced it will be making three new changes to its News Feed algorithm.

To keep things simple, below are the biggest takeaways from Facebook’s announcement and what they mean for your brand.

In a nutshell, here are the newest updates to the News Feed algorithm:

• Posts from friends will carry even more weight than posts from business pages. This change is to “ensure that content posted directly by the friends you care about, such as photos, videos, status updates or links will be higher up in News Feed so you are less likely to miss it,” Facebook said.
• Stories about friends liking or commenting on posts will be de-emphasized. “This update will make these stories appear lower down in News Feed or not at all,” Facebook said.
• Facebook users will now be able to see more than one News Feed post from the same source in a row. If Facebook users like to read news or interact with posts from business pages they care about, they will still see that content in News Feed. In fact, they will be able to see multiple consecutive posts, something that was restricted before.

What does this change mean to brands utilizing Facebook as part of their social media strategy?

The impact of these changes on a brand’s business page will vary considerably depending on the composition of the page audience and the brand’s posting activity. In some cases, post reach could potentially decline. The biggest thing you can do to combat this is to regularly evaluate your Facebook analytics. The numbers won’t lie—they will tell you what’s working and what isn’t. This is the key insight you’ll need to develop the most impactful content strategy for your brand.

The bottom line: Use the knowledge gained from your analytics to create and post content that your audience finds meaningful.

If you think your brand’s Facebook page needs to be rejuvenated or your engagement just isn’t where you’d like it to be, Planit can help. We create powerful social media strategies that extend your communications online. And beyond.