The Facebook algorithm has changed yet again, which means more space for friends and less time with advertisers – in other words, good for users, bad for brands. Users will now see posts and interactions from friends and family over companies and social pages.
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The change comes from Facebook’s creators to put a reemphasis on close connection interaction due to a recent sharp decline in people sharing personal messages and images on the social media site. Vice President for Product Management at Facebook, Adam Mosseri, says that maintaining a relevant, newsworthy and interesting News Feed is vital to satisfying users of the site. Feedback collected from users said that important posts from friends and family often do not appear on their News Feeds, threatening to leave the site all together if changes weren’t made.
Facebook algorithm: changes to user experience
After the Facebook algorithm is released, users are likely to see two major changes in their News Feed: trending of topics and engagement timing. With trending topics, as users post about something in real time, for example: the NBA finals on TV, they are more likely to see other people’s posts about that same event in their News Feed. The second change is the timing of “Likes” and comments. Instead of looking just at the number of engagements, Facebook now considers when people “Liked” and “Commented” on the post as part of its algorithm.
What does this Facebook algorithm change mean for marketers and how it will affect Facebook business pages?
Many brand pages probably will not see much of a change in reach as a result of these Facebook algorithm updates. If a Page posts about a trending topic or if a post sees a high velocity of engagement early on that then drops off, that post may begin to see increased distribution early on and less distribution over time. The update will also mean marketers are likely to see their brands reach and referral traffic decline, especially those with less engaged followers.
Image via Wishpond
Ultimately, Facebook will still need to be more transparent about their algorithms. Media publishers want to know exactly how their posts are being shown to users. Interesting, relevant and more captivating messaging may be the answer for smaller companies and brands to maintain their presence on Facebook amongst advertisers with bigger budgets.
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