Pay to Play—the new Facebook algorithm
April 18, 2018
You’ve probably heard chatter about the new algorithm for Facebook that seeks to prioritize posts by friends and family. But what does that mean? Well, good news, for your business it probably won’t affect you too much.
The algorithm tailors users’ feeds so that they see posts they find important based on their past actions. For most users, this means posts by friends, family, and groups they are part of. Posts they read, comment on, and click-through with regularity are most visible—but this is nothing new. For several years now Facebook has been tweaking its algorithms along the same vein. This has meant that users see fewer posts from businesses and brands. Your organic reach has probably been declining for years due to these changes.
For several years now Facebook has been tweaking its algorithms along the same vein. This has meant that users see fewer posts from businesses and brands. Your organic reach has probably been declining for years due to these changes.
There’s also the “pay to play” option, which refers to businesses relying more heavily on paying for Facebook Ads, Promoted Posts, and other Facebook paid media to get their content in front of their audiences. Although this isn’t ideal for businesses, it isn’t anything new. Odds are, you probably have a Facebook Ad campaign running right now.
But the new algorithm doesn’t mean you should stop posting. On the contrary, you should focus on sharing quality content. The algorithm focuses on “meaningful interaction”—so that should be your goal. Get users involved. Give users a way to offer their opinion, ask a question, or hold a poll. The more consumers comment and engage with your posts, the more likely they will continue to see your posts organically. However, steer clear of what Facebook calls “engagement-bait” where you’re encouraging likes, shares, and comments without any real engagement or substance. This will ultimately hurt your brand’s presence.
Get users involved. Give users a way to offer their opinion, ask a question, or hold a poll. The more consumers comment and engage with your posts, the more likely they will continue to see your posts organically.
Unfortunately, it still stands that if you want to widen the reach of your page and gain new followers, you will have to pay for ads. As you’re planning your future budgets, it would be wise to consider increasing your Facebook paid media allocations to ensure you’re still able to effectively impact your audience in this updated landscape.
