As you may have heard, Facebook kicked off 2018 by making some startling changes to its News Feed feature. This development will be noticeable for anyone who uses Facebook, but particularly for businesses who use it for promotional purposes. Here’s a brief guide to how Facebook’s new policies might change the way your company uses social media.
Why do Facebook’s policies matter so much?
With well over 1.15 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the world’s largest and most influential social media company. They’re so consequential, in fact, that almost every change they make in their platform has a ripple effect that touches every company that uses it. For smaller companies trying to increase their visibility, Facebook is especially important—as many as 80% of all small businesses in the U.S. use the platform.
How did Facebook change its News Feed?
Facebook announced in January that it was changing its algorithms. Henceforth, the platform’s users would see more posts from friends and family and “less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.” The changes came after widespread criticism of Facebook and other social media sites for allegedly promoting unreliable, clickbait-style news articles and viral videos to the detriment of quality content. There have also been reports that the glut of polarized political arguments on Facebook was alienating users and discouraging them from using the platform.
How are the changes affecting businesses?
The changes could eat into the profits of companies who use Facebook to promote sponsored posts, particularly sponsored videos. In some ways, however, the changes simply present businesses with a brand new set of challenges. To catch users’ attention and promote their brands, businesses will have to provide better, more engaging, and more entertaining content. Instead of relying on the same old tricks, social media managers will have to begin thinking in new, innovative ways.
Does your company’s social media presence need a fresh, inventive approach? Pennington Creative can provide the talent, the vision, and the creativity to light a fire behind your digital marketing campaign. To discover how our services can help you rethink your online content, get in touch with us today.
