Like everyone else, you probably noticed that Facebook brand pages are suddenly getting a lot less traffic. And this is bad news. You are probably quite upset about it and if you are using Facebook for marketing or for promoting your site and work, you are probably very disappointed. The truth is that Facebook recently tweaked its news feed algorithm and it hurts.
Also Read: Artificial Intelligence on Facebook?
Earlier this month, Facebook changed the algorithm that determines which “stories” show up on the News Feed. The change is supposed to rank stories in the news feed according to how much your friends have been clicking on them. But that is not all, Facebook want more “high quality articles” and less of “the latest meme.” Why? Because Facebook wants to become the “newspaper” of social media.
The Business Insider confirms that Facebook has taken a grip on “memes”
[quote style=”boxed”]When the change went down, lots of people assumed it would be terrible news for publishers that write a lot about “memes” and publish other “viral” content – publishers like Buzzfeed and Upworthy. Then AllThingsD’s Mike Isaac reported that the Facebook executive in charge of News Feed, Chris Cox, has a personal distaste for those two sites. [/quote]
A week or so after Facebook made its changes, one social media marketing agency, Ignite, analyzed 689 posts from 21 brand pages. Ignite found that in just one week, the number of people who saw posts from those brands declined by 44% on average, “with some pages seeing declines as high as 88%.”
Why did Facebook do that?
Because despite the “Facebook is free and it always will be” stamped by Mark Zuckerberg, this is only true for Facebook vital asset: users. Yes, this does not apply to businesses.
Think about it, what are Facebook pages for businesses and publishers? I will tell you: they are free ads! And Facebook has no interest in providing businesses with free promotion. Facebook lives out of advertising, Facebook needs businesses to spend money on advertising.
Yes, it is a complex mix between gratuity for end-users, interesting content (so that users come back), and making a profitable business (so it keeps on growing, on offering more and staying free for end-users), see the the pattern?
Despite all these, I still believe Facebook is a great platform to promote your business and help your site get traffic, whether you decide to use ads or not. Whatever yo do, Facebook will always be a good thing for your business, it will always do more good than bad.
And this is not the end of it, Facebook is before everything a very intelligent company which never fears to go back on decision that did not work as plan.
Related Stories:
- Is Facebook Afraid of Advertisers Leaving Its Platform?
- When Losing 30K Fans Could be a Good Strategy
- Facebook Updates Newsfeed, For More ‘Quality’ Update
You might also like
More from Facebook
Facebook Bans Donald Trump Indefinitely From Its Platforms
Following the recent events in Washington DC, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced an indefinite ban on Donald Trump from …
New Facebook Pages Come Without A Like Button
Facebook is rolling out a new design for Facebook Pages. It comes with new features, but without a Like button.
New Year’s Eve 2020 Sets New Records For Use Of Facebook Apps
Facebook was expecting a traffic spike on its apps over New Year's Eve, but this year broke all previous records …
3 Courses To Help You Create Better Video Content For Your Ads
Here are three free Facebook Blueprint courses to help you take your content to the next level.
Facebook Attacks Apple With Full-Page Newspaper Ads
Facebook is running newspaper ads newspapers criticizing Apple for its policy giving iOS users the choice of whether they want …
New Facebook Collab App Lets You Create Music With Friends
Facebook Collab is a new experimental music-making app available in the US, that lets you create music with friends.
Facebook Expands Brand Collabs Manager To Public Groups
Facebook is rolling out it s Brand Collabs Manager to public groups this week, giving them a new opportunity for …
The US Government Is Taking Legal Action To Break Up Facebook
Forty-eight attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission say Facebook Needs To Sell Instagram And WhatsApp.
Facebook Makes It Easier For Auto Dealers To Manage And Promote Their Vehicles
Facebook is rolling out several updates to US-based dealership Pages to make it easier for auto dealers to showcase and …
