Facebook has become a staple for businesses to share posts, pictures, and videos about their companies. Last year, Facebook instituted many changes that are making it difficult for businesses to use Facebook for marketing. Here are some reasons for it.
It’s Just Business
Facebook started when college students who were about to graduate wanted to keep in touch. It has grown into the marketing force today. However, the changes last year were designed to bring Facebook back to its routes, adhering to more personal topics than business or sales posts. And, it is a billion-dollar business that needs to make money and satisfy its stockholders. So these changes are designed for the company to make money. It’s just business. Posts that aren’t personal are encouraged to be eliminated in favor of advertising. Therefore, you will have to place more ads on Facebook and fewer sales posts.
Content Is Key
Throughout the Internet, people are saying that content is king. However, to be effective, the content has to be relevant, trending and informative. You want to post content that sparks conversations naturally instead of engagement bait posts, such as “Comment if you like this photo.” Those will be dropped in newsfeeds and cause you to lose rankings instead of getting them. You are more likely to get comments and visibility from posts, such as a photo of a family member doing something memorable. Make it educational if possible.
Facebook Live Is Preferable
Facebook and YouTube don’t get along. Could it be because Google and Facebook are each trying to make a living doing similar things? Regardless, you want to turn on Facebook Live instead of uploading a YouTube video, which you could post easily on Google Plus or LinkedIn. Facebook Live videos will be shown more often than other videos. Remember to keep the videos about relevant and informative topics. Do not use sales pitches in your Facebook Live videos or you will be out of luck. You can highlight your business through Facebook Live by turning on the button during an event you are sponsoring.
Outbound Links Go Nowhere
If you include a link to a blog or video on another site, even your site, you are likely not going to have it seen by anyone. Facebook is trying to keep people on its site, so it is frowning on outbound links. It is not allowing the link to be shown in your newsfeed. A way around this problem is to include the link in Facebook ads. You also can allude to the link without actually putting in your post. For example, “In my latest blog, you will read about tips for churches to improve marketing efforts. You can find that blog on my Web site.”
Hootsuite and Buffer Get Shot
Remember earlier when I mentioned keeping you on Facebook? Here is another example. Facebook wants its users to schedule posts in its program instead of third-party sites, like HootSuite. The reason for this is obvious. If people are on Facebook, they will see Facebook ads instead of ads on Hootsuite.
