Marketers are panicking as organic reach and engagement drop.
I don't blame them.
After all, Facebook has been many a marketer's gravy trains, what with it being the biggest pool they can easily get their fish in.
But with the social media platform promising users that they are pushing branded content to the back of the line, many fear that their gravy train may come to a halt.
But Facebook isn't dead.
And that means Facebook marketing isn't dead either.
So how do you ensure you keep the traffic (and profits) rolling in through your Facebook marketing?
I'll give you 5 strategies you can easily implement. Let's get started here.
Facebook - More Lives than a Cat
Let's get things straight.
Although the Cambridge Analytics scandal shook Facebook (and its users), the social media giant is still standing strong.
And the numbers will only keep going up.
This is why you need to continue (or start) your Facebook marketing endeavors.
But this time, you just need to tweak your marketing a bit. Let me show you 5 ways you can do that and outwit the Facebook algorithm changes.
5 Easy Ways To Stay On Top Of The Facebook Algorithm Change
1. Engage Your Secret Audience
The biggest change in the Facebook algorithm that has marketers rattled is that Facebook will now be giving branded posts less prominence on an individual's newsfeed. This is so that posts from friends and family can be given higher priority.
Because of this, marketers fear that they'll be relegated into oblivion.
But that shouldn't be so.
All you have to do is rally your secret weapon - your employees and staff.
No, this is not bad. If used correctly, it can help you successfully ride the Facebook algorithm change.
All you have to do is encourage your employees to share your posts while they are at it. This is a great trade-off as your employees will feel less guilty about using company time for their own purposes while you gain by being given access to their network.
It's a win-win situation.
2. Use Video - The Right Way
Facebook is one of the biggest social platforms for 2 great reasons:
- It does a great job of connecting friends and family
- The versatility of content that can be shared
The second one is very important for you as a marketer.
Content is what drives every marketing campaign. But it's the right content that drives successful campaigns.
And thankfully, you don't have to dig around or perform complicated A/B testing to figure out the content that does well on Facebook.
Facebook tells exactly which type of content does well - especially in the new era.
According to Facebook, a video is where you have to be, and Live Video is what you should be doing.
This real-time interaction drives conversations and interaction. And that's exactly what Facebook pushes to the top of newsfeeds.
- Have a regular schedule. If you can do a live video once a week or once a month, do so. But make sure you try to do it at the same time on the same day. This will help your followers fit the broadcast into their program.
- Use what you have. You don't have to be fancy in order to create a great live video. Simple things like a company event or workshop make for great live videos.
- Host a Q&A. A Q&A session is one of the best ways to drive engagement on Facebook as it makes it more about your customers than you. It shows that your customers' concerns are important. And that's exactly what customers need from brands.
There are a lot more ways you can harness the power of live videos without breaking the bank. Some of them can include running live contests, giving tutorials, and a whole lot more.
So go for it - go live.
Still on video, if and when you use a pre-recorded video, make sure to include captions. That is because most Facebook users watch videos with the sound off. Adding captions will increase the dwell time on your post while at the same time passing on critical information.
Just take a look at the screenshot below (warning: possibility of drooling):
He uses this 2-pronged video strategy so well his videos always illicit meaningful engagement from his followers.
If you want to continue reaping the results of your Facebook marketing campaigns, a video is a must. And it must be done right.
3. Use Links with Care
Most of the social media platforms make money from ads. And that only means one thing - they need to keep users on the platform as long as possible.
And to keep users tuned in longer, they demote content that has outbound links.
So how do you get around this and still get traffic to yourself?
Spice things up.
What does that mean?
It simply means you should give Facebook users what they want.
The new Facebook algorithm promotes posts that drive engagement. Engagement that goes beyond just "likes".
This means you need to create -engaging super content that gets people talking and sharing. As for content, keep is short and succinct - just enough to provoke a response.
The main factor to consider when it comes to links is to make it difficult for readers to resist clicking on them.
This is where creative copywriting comes into play.
That is a great example of great copywriting used to drive engagement. For one, the picture elicits a feeling many DIYers are too familiar with and the copy offers a solution to avoiding repeat instances.
A few tips to help you reproduce such results include:
- Use a captivating image with an equally captivating blurb/description.
- Study your target audience and create content they are desperate for
- Address their pain points
- Be controversial - within reasonable means of course
If you can manage to tick those 4 boxes, your audience will click your link and more - they'll share it.
And Facebook loves links that get clicked on and shared. Remember, what Facebook loves, Facebook promotes.
4. Give More, Ask Less
Facebook's original mission was to connect people to their friends, families, and lost acquaintances. In short, it was created to be a platform where people could be social despite being in different time zones.
The new Facebook algorithm seeks to restore that.
What this means is that Facebook is promoting social posts more than business posts.
What does this mean for marketers?
It means you now have the license to mix business with pleasure.
And the best way to do that is to create a Facebook Group.
Facebook groups are powerful because they allow your audience to interact over a common interest - your product or anything related to it.
By creating a Facebook group you give to your audience in 2 ways:
- You give them a platform to express themselves, give feedback, and share ideas and reviews
- You give them valuable content (and do make sure it is valuable to them)
To survive the decrease in organic traffic that is affecting others, practice the law of reciprocity - give and it shall be given back to you.
In other words, if you give more than you ask, your audience will reward you with engagement, interaction, and shares.
5. Be Strategic in Your Posting
If your social media marketing involves random posting, then you might as well stop.
Social media marketing, especially on Facebook, needs planning - strategic planning.
In order to increase engagement (and thus gain Facebook's favor), you need to plan your posts. That means 2 things:
- Be strategic in your posting time. Depending on your location and demographics, there is a sweet spot you need to find when it comes to the best time to post on Facebook .
- Be strategic in the content you post. To keep your timeline fresh and interesting, post different types of content. And to make it easy for your audience, if possible, have a specific date and time for specific types of posts.
Post and pray produce no profits.
You will need to carefully strategize and plan your Facebook marketing to the very last detail.
Quick links:
Facebook Marketing is Still Alive and Profitable
No matter the negativity surrounding Facebook marketing after the new algorithm change, Facebook is still the best social media marketing platform on the planet.
Ignore the negativity and just adjust your strategy to fall in line with the changes. As the saying goes, the only constant thing in life is change.
So embrace (and profit) from the changes in the Facebook algorithm.