A couple of days ago, Facebook made an announcement that has the marketing community buzzing…
Big chances are coming to Facebook’s algorithms when it comes to Page content and the News Feed.
And an additional announcement was made in the Facebook Newsroom.
With phrases like…
- “a major change to how we build Facebook”
- “you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media”
- and the panic-inducing… “some measures of engagement will go down”
…this announcement has certainly got marketers discussing what this means for digital marketing strategy. Especially those who rely on Facebook for most of their ad spend.
Here are some comments from members of our DigitalMarketer Engage community…
Generally, the response in our communities has been pretty positive, so if you’re in a panic…
Breath in.
Breath out.
It’s going to be okay.
To prove it, I asked some DigitalMarketer teammates for their thoughts on Facebook’s announcement (and don’t you worry, I’ll be weighing in with my own feelings, too).
“Relevancy is becoming more and more essential on Facebook. This is great for businesses who are truly serving a market and creating fulfilling content.
This is NOT great for people who rely solely on direct response tactics that don’t give value first.
But what is important is what’s best for the end user.
The happier the customer is, the more they will use the platform… the more inventory that we all have as advertisers. Facebook is just further weeding out the bad ones.
Content marketers and people who can create engaging video and content for social media just went up in stock value BIG TIME.
This is also great news for chatbots…
They allow brands to create that individualized experience that Facebook is looking to provide.”
(RELATED: Facebook Messenger Ads: How to Use Them in Your Business)
Katie Bower, DigitalMarketer’s social media manager, shared her thoughts on how she plans to adjust our social media strategy.
“DigitalMarketer’s first core value is to ‘Love, protect, and respect our customers.’
As Facebook makes major changes to the algorithm, users will be seeing a lot less of ‘us’ and a lot more of the people they love.
Although this change is going to affect marketing strategies everywhere, the industry as a whole should embrace and mirror the efforts Facebook is making to continually satisfy their customers.
We’ll be changing our Facebook content to reflect the needs of YOU, our followers.
This means more relevant discussions about digital marketing and business growth as it pertains to your interests.”
As for me, I believe this announcement means that the need to build a true community on the Facebook platform will be more valuable than ever.
Facebook has already made big changes to Groups and is fully invested in revamping this red-headed stepchild of Facebook features.
(RELATED: What Facebook’s New Group Features Means For Community Managers)
They’ve also been giving more News Feed real estate than ever to posts inside of active Groups.
And Facebook is actively giving Groups more exposure to folks who might be interested in connecting with others who share common goals, experiences, or interests.
This focus on driving more community-building content rather than promotional messages is exactly the kind of push marketers need to start adding these online tribes as part of their marketing mix.
Now’s the time, folks! All aboard the community train!
(NOTE: Want to build a thriving online community that positively impacts your business’ bottom line? Become a Certified Community Manager Specialist and learn how to leverage Facebook Groups, forums, and social platforms to build a community that will drive leads, sales, and customer loyalty today!)
