Facebook should be renamed Ficklebook. Because that’s what it is in a word: FICKLE.
I tried to Google how many algorithm changes FB has put forth in the past year, but that data seems to be elusive. Just know that there have been many.
In fact, once Facebook admitted it was a “pay-to-play” site, I had one client say, “ENOUGH!”
They left Facebook in search of greener social pastures. And they haven’t looked back.
So when it comes to thriving on Facebook, this post will help you decide, “should I stay or should I go” by highlighting:
- Facebook’s EdgeRank Algorithm
- Why Organic Traffic Barely Exists
- What’s Working (For Now)
- Advertising As An Option
- The Future Of Facebook
The EdgeRank Algorithm
If you aren’t familiar with the Facebook algorithm, EdgeRank, you should get familiar as most of the changes Facebook makes revolve around it.
The algorithm looks at three main variables (and these are the only ones Facebook has made public):
- Affinity: measures your “relationship” with a brand page; the more repeat interactions you have, the more influence a page has for reaching your News Feed.
- Weight: measures the interactions on posts. For instance, a click or “like” may have low weight, while a comment or share will garner more weight. The more weight a post collects, the more it will be seen by Fans.
- Time Decay: measures the “life” of the post; the older the post, the less value it has. The main takeaway with this variable is that fresh, original content is super important.
With the changes in December to the algorithm, Facebook put a huge emphasis on content.
Pages posting memes and frequent calls to action, or other low-quality content more than likely had their content hidden from the News Feed and Fans.
There’s just too much content to focus on the fluff (which is why I’ve started using the hashtag #EnoughWithTheFluff – join me!).
Why Organic Traffic Barely Exists
After billions (okay, maybe not THAT many …) of articles came out crying, “WTF!” about the decline of Organic Reach on Facebook, the platform released its own post regarding the decline.
They said there are two main reasons for the change:
“The first reason involves a simple fact: more and more content is being created and shared every day. You’ve probably felt this change yourself. Just a few years ago, sharing important moments and experiences, articles you’ve read, and photos and videos of your loved ones was a relatively labour-intensive process. Today, thanks to devices like smartphones, many people can share this content with just a few swipes of the finger or taps of a button.
There is now far more content being made than there is time to absorb it. On average, there are 1,500 stories that could appear in a person’s News Feed each time they log onto Facebook. For people with lots of friends and Page likes, as many as 15,000 potential stories could appear any time they log on.
As a result, competition in News Feed — the place on Facebook where people view content from their family and friends, as well as businesses — is increasing, and it’s becoming harder for any story to gain exposure in News Feed.”
And …
“The second reason involves how News Feed works. Rather than showing people all possible content, News Feed is designed to show each person on Facebook the content that’s most relevant to them. Of the 1,500+ stories a person might see whenever they log onto Facebook, News Feed displays approximately 300. To choose which stories to show, News Feed ranks each possible story (from more to less important) by looking at thousands of factors relative to each person.”
In laymen’s terms:
A: There’s too much content to filter through. Mark Schaefer calls this Content Shock (and it’s kinda scary).
B: Facebook is deciding what’s “important” to you through EdgeRank (and ultimately how you interact with Brand Pages and content).
It seems a bit like a Catch 22 … they show you less content, but grade your interests based on your interactions with content.
So what DOES work?
What’s Working On Facebook (For Now)
If you’ve always been the biggest fan of your Fans, then you’re probably not hurting too badly. (While we have some sucky weeks, we’ve still seen slow and steady growth with very little advertising on Facebook).
To stay relevant, you’ve got to focus on:
- REAL Engagement: I say real because it’s clear Facebook isn’t giving credit to memes, puzzles, and “Like for true and comment for False” type content. Facebook is looking for Fans who are connecting with you for fresh, original BRAND content.
- Analyzing Your Content: Use Facebook Insights to find out what content is working, and why. You can also check out “Negative Feedback” to see what content you should avoid.
- #EnoughWithTheFluff: Yes, I know how easy it is to make “pretty” Zig Ziglar quotes in Canva. Yes, I know these get you lots of “likes”! No, Facebook doesn’t consider this to be high-quality content. So use memes, games, puzzles, and fluffy quotes sparingly.
- Post More Often: To keep up with the Time Decay you’ll want to try to post more often. And that means not just more posts per day, but posting 7 days a week! Test what your audience can handle, and if you start getting little-to-no engagements on your updates, pull back.
- Post Logically: Facebook said recently that it will give more weight to links posted as link previews, meaning if you post a picture with the link in the description or in the status box, you’ll get lower weight.
- Stay On Top Of FB & Algorithm Changes
Adding to the last two points, Moz had this to say:
“Facebook has said (and always maintained) that it is ideal to structure your content in the most logical way. Stories that include links should be posted as links. Many page admins like to include links within the descriptions of photos, however this is against Facebook’s general wishes.”
Advertising As An Option
I don’t think we have to take “pay-to-play” gravely.
If you’re unwilling to pay for any ads, then yeah, you might have a hard time. Does that mean you should leave Facebook?
I say it’s up to you … my client had enough and they are sailing along quite smoothly without Facebook (Twitter is a boon for them).
If you do decide to play with ads, start small:
- Try boosting a post that has gotten good engagement on its own
- Run a simple ad to “get more page likes” in the Ad Manager
As you get a little more educated and knowledgeable, you can try:
- Running an ad to get clicks on your website
- Creating an ad for event sign ups
- Using a Facebook Conversion Pixel to track sales or conversions
And remember to test, Test, TEST!
Explaining Facebook advertising could be an entire series! So instead I encourage you to read Sprout Social’s: A Beginner’s Guide To Facebook Ads.
The Future Of Facebook
The only thing that’s certain with Facebook (and life) is change.
If your Page isn’t thriving, there are plenty of other options out there for you. Just keep in mind that while they are “free” now, it may not always be that way.
That’s why it’s smart to spend less time about the most recent FB algorithm change and to worry more about your owned assets (your website, email list, blog and other content pieces).
Don’t let anyone tell you that you HAVE to be on Facebook! It’s perfectly okay to leave Facebook behind.
Wasting your time on anything that doesn’t give you some sort of return is just bad business.
What do YOU think? Have you left or know anyone who has left Facebook and loved/hated it? Let us know in the comments section below!
See you in the social sphere!
photo credit: javi.velazquez via photopin cc
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