As any social media marketer will tell you (and probably roll their eyes about), Facebook is constantly updating and changing. In an announcement made Wednesday, Facebook VP of Product Management Adam Mosseri went over some of the latest changes they have made. The short version of his announcement is that they’ve tweaked the News Feed to help users see more posts from their friends and family. What do these changes mean for us as marketers? We’re so glad you asked. Here is what you need to know about this change, and what it means.
Why Did Facebook Make This Update?
Facebook has made it abundantly clear that in their world, friends and family will always come first. It was the principle on which the platform was built. This update is simply expanding on and further enhancing that algorithm. Other than staying connected with friends and family, Facebook aims to inform and entertain its users with content they will find interesting. They measure this based on a person’s behavior on the site and how they interact with the stories they encounter. As more and more content is added to Facebook, especially content from brands, Facebook must make adjustments to this algorithm to ensure that the content its users want to see is what they actually get.
Isn’t That What Facebook Already Does?
Exactly. Facebook has already been operating in this way for some time. If you love cat videos, you’re still going to see cat videos in your feed. Facebook will continue to crack down even harder on overly sensational “clickbait” link titles. Hallelujah. So why bother making this announcement if that’s what the News Feed is already doing? Facebook wants to make it even more clear that their only agenda is giving users what they want. As if you could go five minutes without a reminder, we are in an election year. Recent allegations suggested that Facebook employees willfully blocked certain stories from their trending topics. It’s no surprise that Facebook wants to take every opportunity they can to reiterate their mission statement publicly.
So Can We Kiss Page Reach Goodbye?
Short answer: no. Page Reach will remain to be what it has been recently. The burden will be on marketers to create content that their audience wants to see. Posts with higher levels of engagement will still get more reach. Focus on content that your audience will interact with, and most importantly share with their friends. Remember, content shared by people will ultimately be seen by more other people than content shared by brands. >
So, marketers, don’t freak out. This News Feed update is just one in a sea of many to come. If you like consistent sameness and an environment that never changes, you wouldn’t be in social media anyway. So hang on, and enjoy the ride.
