Facebook is changing their algorithm
Last month, Facebook announced changes to their algorithm in what they called an effort to improve news feeds, surfacing “higher quality” content to users that they are more likely to click on based on their current behavior on the site.
This means that meme photos will be diminished in value along with overly shared links, as Facebook deems those to be lower in quality, and they will begin promoting news articles to users, stating that their research shows people enjoy coming across them more than they do pictures of landscapes with inspirational quotes, or shots of cats with silly phrases. They will begin displaying “relevant” articles underneath links in the news feed that readers have recently opened, with the idea that this will expose them to something else of interest.
But the truly important part: organic reach
Facebook also admitted that organic reach of Pages is dropping, so even though 6,500 people have indicated that they like your company and want to receive your updates on their news feed, the social media giant is surfacing Page content in news feeds less so they can charge for you to reach the customers you’ve already won over as fans.
They blatantly stated last month that that paid advertising is the best way to increase visibility, noting, “As the dynamic nature of News Feed continues to follow people’s patterns of sharing, Page owners should continue using the most effective strategy to reach the right people: a combination of engaging Page posts and advertising to promote your message more broadly. Advertising lets Pages reach the fans they already have and find new customers as well.”
Some took this as a confession from Facebook that they are reducing the organic reach of Facebook page posts so they can suck money out of companies in the form of advertising, while others assert it is not a conscious effort, rather an acknowledgement that Facebook is getting noisier and to cut through the noise, brands must be engaging and may have to pony up to increase visibility.
Facebook says they expect this trend to continue, and we’ve seen it first hand in our own pages, regardless of the type of content shared. The video above is one of the best explanations of why this is a crock, and why we think that Facebook could be pushing business users straight into the arms of Google+.
