All Quiet on the Facebook Front: Algorithm Update Decreases Reach

In a previous blog, we discussed how Facebook’s News Feed algorithm updates brought about a good deal of trouble for social media managers, leaving them with no response on their posts beyond a chorus of chirping crickets. Now, the networking giant is at it again: In late April, Facebook announced that they would once again be overhauling their News Feed algorithms, spelling out even deeper frustrations for marketers around the world.

Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has evolved beyond a simple communication tool into a powerhouse of information, providing users with news from around the globe through sources they choose to follow. In fact, in a recent survey published by the American Press Institute, 88% of all millennials regularly receive their news information through Facebook alone. With 71% of all internet users in the United States owning a Facebook profile, and 70% of those users checking the site daily, it’s no secret that membership levels are still strong, making the site a fantastic place to reach a wide audience.

However, changes in early 2015 produced drastic declines in engagement and post reach, with many social media marketing professionals still scrambling to bring visibility back to what it once was. This new update, announced on April 21, seems like it will do more of the same. In their announcement of these changes, Facebook explained that it would take focus on the content published by friends users care about, giving them the ability to select what they want to see, when they want to see it, from their closest set of users. This means that company pages will likely receive even less viewership, with members selecting only close friends to fill their News Feeds. Furthermore, Facebook will also be reducing posts about users liking or commenting on things, meaning that their friends will not be exposed to company pages when a user interacts with them.

Does this spell the death of Facebook as a marketing platform? The company itself did say that the new updates could potentially decrease referral traffic and post reach; however, by sticking with a regular, high-quality schedule of posts with a variety of content, your company page may still make an impact on followers’ feeds. Social media marketing specialists just need to find that holy grail of social media: guiding users to click the “share” button.

Facebook marketing will continue to be a challenge for in-house marketers and agencies alike, but one thing is certain: the power of your content will be what saves you from a ghost town of a social page. When you’re ready to get started on the most effective campaign possible, or if you’d like to learn more about social media marketing, contact Elephant Ear at (321) 537-2649 today.