Facebook announced plans to change its news feed algorithm in order to display more “news” stories. This change will impact businesses, especially small businesses, which use the platform as a means of free advertising. The change will be more obvious on mobile devices and is “designed to give a major boost to popular pieces of content,” but “will also have a big impact on marketers’ ability to reach consumers on the platform through organic posts”.
An article by Karen E. Klein discusses Facebook’s decision and offers some tips for businesses on how to deal with the change. The article states that businesses are naïve for thinking that free exposure on such a popular platform was never going to end and reminds businesses that buying ads gives them the best opportunity to reach consumers.
Klein suggests to keep posts relevant to what consumers want – sales and promotions – and to be aware of timing and share-ability of posts. Businesses can also encourage consumers to “opt-in” to their posts by adjusting their news feed setting. Finally, businesses should adapt rather than completely break-up with social media. The article states that “while these developments may discourage small business owners, they shouldn’t drop social media from their marketing strategies”.
What are your thoughts on Facebook’s decision? Do you agree or disagree?
How do you think this will impact small business marketing?
Do you think that other social media platforms will follow suit?
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