The Algorithm "undressed."
It's been over 3 months since the "big" algorithm changes on Facebook, yet people are still left wondering how their account is being affected.
You know it is, you just don't know what that means for your social media plan of attack for your business.
In the words below, we will breakdown exactly what the algorithm is doing and how your business can exploit it for your benefit. Here we go...
Here are the questions we will cover...
How many of my friends are actually seeing my post?
Do I need both a personal page and a business page?
How much posting is too much and does it really matter?
I hate video, doesn't everybody else?
My engagement sucks, how do I change that?
If you find yourself in any of these questions, keep going!
The algorithm...believe it or not, the most recent changes from Facebook were designed to force people to be more relational. Facebook realized that users time on the site was going down and most of it was due to how spammy our newsfeeds have become with ads.
Because of this, several big shifts have happened.
#1 - Conversations happening in the post drastically impact if people see it or not.
With relationships on their minds, conversations are a good thing. If someone is engaging in someone's post, it means they want to see it. And if they want to see it, chances are, other people do too.
This means that when you post something and someone comments, respond with a question that makes sense. (Not every time, but sometimes) This forces them to respond, now, y'all are having a conversation and the algorithm loves it! You will see your post, video, etc. seen by so many more people than before.
#2 - Groups matter for the first time.
With relationship as the focus, the algorithm is assuming that if you are friends with someone and you share several groups in common, y'all want to see each other's posts. This means a couple things...first, go do a "spring cleaning" of all the groups you're in. You are probably in 100's that you didn't even realize. Get out of them. They are affecting your algorithm in a bad way. If you have groups that offer zero value to you, leave them asap.
Secondly, make sure that you are in groups that you really like or that represent the people you want to be found by. Start interacting and engaging there. But remember, "engaging" doesn't mean selling yourself. Let's people's curiosity peak about who you are and what you do because they seeing you commenting on so much stuff.
#3 - Business pages that only run ads are being punished.
Facebook is trying to force business pages to be more relational. How? By limiting their reach when running ads. Businesses that I talk to have said the moment they start posting “organic” content, which means free, they see changes to the audience they can start reach with their ads. I believe this is a real thing. So make sure that from your business page that you are finding a balance between paid ads and organic content.
#4 - Facebook Live is even more important.
As Facebook continues to push highly relational options, live video is a perfect fit for the bill. It allows you to instantly connect with your people. It allows them to comment in real time that you can then react to in the video. It’s really awesome.
Since I already know that most of you will not like the idea of doing video...here’s what I want you to understand...
The fears that hold you back make no sense....how do I know this? Because I teach over 10 times a month about video and everyone has the same ones. Why? Because we are humans!
You don’t like what you look like...
You don’t like what you sound like...
You don’t know what to say...
And, who the heck cares?
Did I peg you with one of those? I bet I did! :)
Stop right now...take a deep breath...and soak this in. 99% of the people that see your videos are your friends! Did you worry about what your friend thought of your voice?
Do you worry about your friend looking at you too much when y’all go to coffee?
Do you run out of things to talk to your friends about after 5 minutes? NO! Why? Because you aren’t trying to freaking sell yourself. You act like a normal person!
Start treating Facebook more like coffee with a friend and watch the game change for you. If you wouldn’t say it to your friend at coffee, don’t say it on Facebook. Plain and simple.
Final Tip: And here’s the final tip for those of you who have read to this point...
When you start doing videos, comment on your videos 2 comments at a time every day after you do the video. Watch it stay in the timelines of your friends for a long time. Your views and engagements will go through the roof!
I hope this was valuable to you guys! Have a great week!