Yesterday Facebook confirmed that big changes are coming to its platform.
There was tons of speculation, but no official word from Facebook about what the changes would look like. Until now.
In short, users’ news feeds will utilize a new algorithm that will prioritize friends and family over public content.
But what does that mean for small businesses that are on social media in Vancouver?
If you have a Facebook Page for your business, fasten your seatbelt. You’re going to want to be strapped in for this.
The increased importance of advertising for social media in Vancouver
Facebook is going to make us “pay-to-play,” so to speak, if you want any engagement on your Facebook Page moving forward.
Think of Facebook like a new format of advertising, like newspapers or TV. Want your content to be seen? Open your wallet.
Until now, businesses could show their content to their fans organically, or use small budgets of just a few dollars to get a broader reach. But once the new algorithm changes come into effect, businesses are going to need to significantly increase their advertising budgets. Every post will need to be “boosted” and $10 is simply not going to cut it anymore as now all businesses will be spending more $$$ to be seen first.
Should my business stop posting on Facebook?
Definitely not.
Facebook is still the most effective social media platform for running ads, directing traffic to your website, and engaging with customers particularly in the 38-55 demographic.
If your current Facebook strategy is to pump out as much content as possible, now is the time to change things up. No one is going to see that content, so not only will it be a waste of time but Facebook’s new algorithm will punish you for spam-like behaviour.
The content that will continue to make it through to people are the posts that encourage and foster conversations between friends. It will now be more important than ever to focus on creating quality content and ensuring that it is seen by the right people.
Now might be the time to try something new, like live videos which tend to receive 600% more interactions on average over regular videos.
What about Facebook groups?
We’re thinking Facebook groups will be the next big thing in marketing on Facebook. Groups are a community-based collection of people that can be created around a feature that your business offers.
Problem is, adding people to groups can be difficult. You can’t automatically add people to a group – instead, you could ask, on your Facebook Page, that people join, and offer the link. Then, advertise the post that asks people to join.
These are early days and more information is likely to come out soon about best practices.
If you are interested in establishing a group for your brand, contact Legendary Social Media Vancouver.
What about Instagram?
Some see Instagram as the last bastion of organic reach.
While there are still good opportunities for your content to be seen here, Instagram is owned by Facebook so our money is on Instagram going to a “pay-to-play” formula in the near future, too. Instagram updated its algorithm in 2016 to more closely match Facebook’s – which reduced organic visibility of posts to help favour paid content.
Today, growing an Instagram account is harder than ever. It takes some serious dedication to increase your followers organically.
Now might be the time to change up your strategy and include new types of content, like Instagram Stories.
Social media in Vancouver is changing, but that doesn’t mean game over for small businesses
Facebook is simply becoming another ad platform. While it may still be effective and highly targeted, it does mean that businesses will need to spend more to take advantage of the benefits – at least until the next major social platform comes along.
If you’re a small business that needs help with social media in Vancouver, now is the right time to ensure that your business stands out and the best way to do so is to enlist the help of social media experts like Legendary Social Media Vancouver.
We’d love to help your business in the ever-changing landscape of social media.
