Facebook offers you the attention of 2 billion people.
Or is that the myth we’ve been sold?
Facebook does have 2 billion active monthly users, and 1 billion daily active users. It’s the kind of reach that means that many of us pay very close to attention to what Facebook does.
If you use Facebook to reach your audience, you might want to know about the social network’s split news feed trials.
Last week, Filip Struhárik, a journalist, detailed a dramatic fall in reach for Slovakian news outlets on Facebook. Surveyed pages were reporting around a two thirds drop in reach since the introduction of split feed, which saw posts from news pages being pushed into a separate feed.
Facebook rushed to offer its own defense. Facebook’s Head of News Feed, Adam Mosseri, said the experiment was in response to requests from users who wanted “an easier way to see posts from friends and family”.
Media houses are understandably anxious. How will they each their readers at this rate? The tests are particularly worrying for smaller news outlets. Struhárik notes that larger media organisations have platforms such as websites and newsletters to reach their audience.
At the same time, Facebook is partnering with the world’s biggest media companies for a new subscription service. The initial run will include ten publishers, including the Economist and Washington Post. Readers will have access to an allocation of free articles before having to sign up for a subscription.
Many marketers will be familiar with Facebook’s “pay to play” approach, as organic reach continues to decline. At the start of this year, brands found the average number of engagements had dropped by about 20%.
Does this mean that Facebook’s immense reach is only available to the highest bidder?
While Facebook maintains there are no plans to roll out the split feed feature globally at this stage, the episode illustrates the impact that tweaks on the feed can have on organisations’ ability to reach their fans.
Smaller media companies, not for profits and businesses need to start Facebook-proofing their communications strategy.
Facebook is an important and valuable channel. It deserves the time and money you are investing into it. But, it does not have to be and should not be the only way you connect with your audience.
Here are a few tips to ensuring your marketing strategy is immune to any Facebook feed fall-out.
Stay updated on Facebook trends
Yes, growing other communication channels does not mean turning your back on Facebook completely. A platform that reaches a quarter of the world’s population can’t be ignored.
Part of making the most out of Facebook is staying updated with its latest trends. For instance, we know that Facebook is prioritising video right now. Have a look at what you’d like to communicate and identify opportunities for video. If you’re on a tight budget, this doesn’t mean you have to hire a video team and purchase professional equipment. I’ve used my Xiaomi phone to shoot all my Facebook Live videos.
A very simple way to stay in the know for new developments is to create a Google Alert for Facebook. This brings the latest news on the social network right into your inbox, and helps you identify good sites you can follow to stay updated.
Know your audience and create the content they are asking for
Keep going back to your buyer personas and make sure you’re speaking their language, and answering their questions.
If you don’t have an online presence outside of Facebook, set up a blog today. Do your research and come up with a content strategy that helps your buyers solve their problems.
Learn the basics of search engine optimisation (there are tons of free resources online) and make your content visible to the world. Keep at it, search engines reward regularly updated sites with traffic.
Promote that amazing content
Once you have put together your content, get online and promote it! Build your email list and share valuable content with them.
Find out where your buyers are online. Which forums and discussion boards are most popular with your customers? Post your content there and stay engaged to address industry questions, and offer value to the threads.
Social media sharing is a great way to build an audience. Facebook is the largest social network, but your audience might be on Twitter, Instagram or Linkedin.
Facebook is great, and should definitely be in your communications toolkit. But there’s a wealth of other online and offline opportunities to stay connected with your audience.
Image credit: Pixabay
