WHAT IMPACT WILL THE NEW FACEBOOK ALGORITHM HAVE ON MARKETERS?

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE NEW FACEBOOK 

ALGORITHM HAVE ON MARKETERS?

Still confused and struggling with 
the new Facebook algorithm?

Let's simplify it for you.

As we're all aware, over the course of the last year and a half, there had been a great deal of talk and media focus on the electoral integrity of the 2016 election and whether or not they had been influenced by the Russian government. We later learned that the now-bankrupt data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica had utilized data provided by Facebook to 50 million users for nefarious purposes. The data collected provided details on users' identity, friends network, and likes. Once collected, this data was used to map personality traits based on what people had liked on Facebook, then targeted digital ads were created to influence voters. Since the new surrounding Cambridge Analytica's role in the election and its use of Facebook's data became public, Facebook has been undergoing an epic PR campaign to reassure its users that their personal data was now safe and that federal regulators need not intervene.

Facebook has always been dynamic with regards to its algorithms; However, given the overwhelming scrutiny the company was facing, their most recent algorithm created some reassurances for some users, while creating confusion and uncertainty for marketers. We hope to simplify the changes and explain their impacts.

The new algorithm has been created to address a number of issues of angst that users and marketers have voiced their concerns about, such as click bait, fake profiles, and questionable and genuine relationships with people within your network. So, the algorithm will now focus on maintaining a percentage of your friends and followers that you actually have had communications and relationships with. That percentage should be as close to 100% as possible. As a result, long gone are the days of having an enormous list of followers, but only 10% of genuine relationships. The challenge for marketers now is to reconnect with their followers either via Facebook Live/Messenger, post comments, or likes in order to maximize their marketing efforts.

Let's delve deeper into how marketers can utilize the Facebook features. As a result of the incredible success of the stories feature on its sister platform, Instagram, Facebook has brought that feature over to its platform. The stories feature is now linked to the Messenger feature. A great way to increase your algorithmic connect percentage and spark engagement is by commenting on followers stories posts with a like emoji, etc. Those followers will instantly be notified by Messenger of your interaction with their story post. This is a great opportunity for them to comment back and start a conversation. As I'm sure that you've picked up on the theme of connecting and engagement so far.

Now, from what we gathered while testing this new algorithm is that the most effective way to maximize your posts and get the most ROI is by posting 3 times per day at 3-4 hour intervals. This strategy will allow each post to stand on its own and not compete with any of your other posts.

By incorporating these tips and strategies, you'll see a significant increase in your followers, engagement, shares, and ultimately ROI. I hope that the Facebook algorithm will be a lot less confusing and intimidating going forward.