Facebook's Algorithm Change - Where'd Everybody Go?

Recently, Facebook announced that its algorithm is changing -- again.  What does this mean for small businesses who devote hours every week to their business pages?

Bad news.

It's no secret that organic reach for business pages has been steadily declining over the last three years. Prior to the latest algorithm change, only about 5% of what you post is ever seen by people who have liked your page. Let's put that in perspective.  If you have 100 people who have liked your page, you are posting for an audience of five.

It gets worse.

On June 29th Facebook announced the newest change to their algorithm and it's not good news for small businesses. Facebook will now begin to prioritize posts from user's friends and family in their newsfeeds (hey, it's what users want, right?). At the same time, content produced by businesses will decrease.  Your 5% reach may now be 2%.  Is that acceptable?

What's the answer?

It may be time to take a step back from your Facebook strategy, certainly re-prioritizing time spent on content creation and frequency of posting.  In order to increase reach, Facebook is making it clear that you will need to advertise. The entry fee is likely to increase due to this new demand, so be prepared to pay more for that option.

What else can we do?

You might want to rethink your "list", you know, the list of email addresses you have been gathering from people who have asked to stay in touch.  Devote your time to really learning how to engage with your customers, fans and supporters. The average open rate for email is 21% and if you use Constant Contact as your email marketing provider, you will enjoy a deliverability rate above 99%.  

One last thought . . . . remember, you have no control over social media platforms. It's rented space.  Go with what you own -- your website and your mailing list. That's where you can focus your marketing efforts for better results.