You might have noticed recently that your Facebook newsfeed looks different. That’s because Facebook is in the process of a major algorithm change. With this change, Facebook is putting more control into the hands of the user, so they have greater control over what posts they see.
Facebook estimates that users could potentially see 1500 posts a day. Obviously, that’s way too much for anyone to view, so they plan to serve 300.
So how will Facebook determine which posts will be seen?
They have created a system to rank Facebook pages. The higher your page rank, the more people will see your post.
Here’s the ranking criteria:
- How long has the page been active?
- What percentage of followers engage with the posts (In this case, engagement means they either scroll through a page, message you, click a button, reply to your posts or like a post.)
- Is the page owner engaged? (In other words, does the owner respond and do they do it quickly?)
- Is someone consistently posting to the page?
If you aren’t meeting the above criteria the traffic to your Facebook page is likely going to drop off.
So how can you beat the new algorithm?
Encourage Engagement
Try to encourage engagement on your page by posting content that is interesting, inspiring, funny, etc. Encourage people to participate on your page by asking questions and taking polls.
Quality Content
Include videos and images that will draw people to your content. Avoid links that send people away from Facebook. Facebook wants to keep people on their platform.
Know When to Post
The insights tool in Facebook shows when people are most active on your page. Plan to post at those times to get better engagement.
Inform Followers
Encourage people to follow your page.
Timely Interactions
Always respond to your followers and do it within 24 hours.
Post Consistently
The best way to let Facebook know that your page is viable is to consistently post to your page. That means several times a week, at least.
Leverage Ads
Your posts will only reach about 2% of your audience organically. The only way around that is to use paid ads. Facebook ads are affordable for most businesses and allows you to spend as little as $1.00 a day.
If you need assistance developing a social media plan for your company, contact the team at Brand Accelerator at 412-848-8822.
About the Author: Meg Huwar is a small business marketing expert and Principal of Brand Accelerator. She and her team work with companies who want to market their business but don’t have the time, experience or staff to do it themselves. Meg can be reached at mhuwar@thebrandaccelerator.com or 412-848-8822.