Just when you got use to Facebook the way it was, here comes another change. Finding it hard to keep up? You’re not alone. But adjusting to it may not be as daunting as you think.
So, what is the change?
Beginning January 2018 Facebook will start prioritizing news feed content to show more posts that spark conversations and engagement between people. They’ll use triggers such as the number of comments and reactions a post receives to “rank” what appears the highest in your feed. This means you’ll most likely see more posts from friends, family, and groups that have the most engaging content. Facebook will use these reactions to also predict other types of content they believe you will react to the most and push those higher up in your feed, such as select articles, video and page posts that spark conversation.
Here’s the kicker….
What you’ll see less of are posts from pages, businesses, publishers and public content which could include their videos and other posts. If these entities are not producing content that encourages interaction, they will start seeing a significant decrease in traffic, viewership and placement in news feed.
Uh-oh! But I’m a publisher or have a business page. Now what?
Don’t fret or feel you have to abandon Facebook altogether. This is the perfect opportunity for you to become more strategic with your content.
Using these guidelines will ensure your content has the best chance of appearing near the top of news feeds:
- Create posts that encourages interaction; Ask a question, setup a poll, or discuss a popular topic among your followers.
- Post live video. On average they get 6 times as many reactions as regular video. Encourage your followers to engage while they watch.
- Create an event
- Post relevant updates that connect with your communities
- Lastly, you can encourage your followers to update their news feed preferences to add you to their list of content providers by selecting “Prioritize who to see first”:
If there is a constant factor that can be said about Facebook is that it’s ever changing. Understanding the changes and modifying how you work with the platform to incorporate the changes will keep you on the winning side of the social media game.
