Organic reach decreased. Facebook fessed up to changing their algorithms. We all whined and complained. I think I even made some analogy between Facebook changes and Cher’s face. Here’s the deal: I now realize these changes weren’t necessarily a bad thing! They shook up the social media marketing game in a way that was desperately needed. I’ll explain.
In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of exactly what happened.
Facebook changed its algorithm, decreasing the number of people who see your posts to 6 out of every 100. They deprioritized repetitive content, content shared from third-party sites and call to actions. So everyone’s organic reach plummeted, which left us all scrambling for new tactics.
And here’s why it wasn’t the end of the world after all.
Using call to actions was a really effective way to get engagement, but it was the social media equivalent of a late-night infomercial. “Like if…” = “Call now…”. And sharing one message across multiple platforms and reusing content is unimaginative and boring.
Every social media campaign started to blend. It was difficult to resist the quick and dirty call to action tactics. Facebook audiences became mindless participants in the call-to-action carousel. This created a seemingly engaged audience, but not brand ambassadors, which is the aim of social media marketing.
Well, those days are gone. It’s time to throw away our TV dinner approach to marketing, (it has too much sodium and trans fat anyways) lace up our aprons and create a real campaign from scratch. A campaign that is a direct and honest representation of its brand. One that actually benefits the company and the consumers.
Changing your approach is never easy, but it’s often necessary. Having a high number of engagement means nothing if those who are engaging invest nothing into your brand or message. These strict algorithm changes appeal to high-quality content and individuals with serious interests.
If you want to design a campaign that truly reflects your brand and reaches the right consumers, give us a call. We’re reconstructing our Facebook marketing model, and we’re liking what we see.
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There was a time when you would have fallen for that one.
