“I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”
Above was the announcement from Mark Zuckerberg relating to his pledge to promote content that will inspire meaningful discussion between family and friends. This, of course, has set many businesses wondering how this will impact both their organic and their paid social media. How Facebook will go about achieving this is currently unknown.
Will the Facebook update impact paid ads?
It is my professional opinion that paid adverts will not be impacted by this update too much. After all, Facebook still needs to make money. However, paid ads that gain a high volume of interactions such as comments, tags and shares etc will obviously perform better than those that don’t.
It is always our top priority to deliver paid ads that drive these kinds of interactions, but for the businesses out there that struggle to gain high levels of quality interaction; you may find your data declining as this new update is rolled out.
Will the update impact organic posts from businesses?
Yes. Posts that spark interest, debate and other engagement will appear higher in the newsfeed, so it is important now more than ever to create an engagement-based social media strategy.
Why is Facebook doing this?
The reason given for the latest update is to make everyone “happier.”
“The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we care about, it can be good for our well-being. We can feel more connected and less lonely, and that correlates with long term measures of happiness and health.”
The aim is, as always, to create a better experience for Facebookers. As users, we all fall into the trap of continual scrolling without really seeing any posts of real interest or value – business or domestic. Unless businesses have something of real value to offer, your post will not be chosen by the algorithm to show.
How can I get a quality social media strategy?
Whilst many business owners will be dreading the update, I personally can’t wait. It would be great if we saw businesses take less of a ‘marketing’ approach to their organic and paid social media posts. If, instead, they worked to build relationships with their current and potential customers, I am sure they will see an increase in sales and loyalty.
If you would like a member of our highly experienced team to carry out a review of your social media, both organic and paid, we would be more than happy to help. Following our analysis, we can create a comprehensive strategy that will help keep your business relevant on social media.