Why has Facebook changed their Algorithm? And what can I do about it?
Why has Facebook changed their Algorithm? And what can I do about it?
Yes, you read that right. Facebook has changed things again.
It seems that not a month goes by when you think to yourself, “I haven’t seen anything on my Facebook feed from George, Hannah or Megan”. You end up seeing the same people repeatedly and liking their posts for something to do. THAT is why you only see their content, by the way, because the more you like someone’s posts, the more Facebook will show you their posts. This is both spookily clever, and utterly frustrating!
Why would they do this?!
Of course, Facebook argues that they are showing you “relevant content” and say they are “tailoring” your news feed to keep you interested. But in my personal experience, my news feed is getting a bit dull (sorry friends!) and I’d love the odd injection of long lost friends, or a random business page to really capture my interest and keep me scrolling.
Some of these changes have been driven by a tightening up on privacy rules on Facebook. Cast your mind back to 2020 (I know, the year we all want to forget) and you will remember seeing comments like this from Facebook: Nicola has liked a post about H&M clothing, or Pete has liked this business page. Yeah, you won’t see those anymore. To keep other people’s (even friends) activity private, Facebook has stopped showing you what your friends have liked *sad face*, so our screen stalking days are over *even sadder face*.
Not business as usual
For businesses with pages on Facebook, this has been devastating to their online engagement. No longer are their posts getting seen by friends of friends, and now they are not even being shown to people who like their business page. This is due to page followers not seeing and therefore not engaging with the page’s posts. It’s a viciously cruel catch 22. BUT, there are things businesses can do, and it does not involve spending any money with Facebook or any advertising agency.
- Post daily if you can. Facebook are “rewarding” businesses that frequently communicate with their followers.
- Include pictures or videos with your post.
- Interact with your followers and answer any comments or private messages within 24 hours.
- Like other pages from your Business page and share posts if you think it would be relevant to your own followers.
- Encourage your staff members, family, and friends to like AND share your posts, as shared posts will get more eyes on than just a liked post.
- Tag friends in the comments of your posts. Facebook class this as interacting with your followers and will reward you with more screen time.
- Encourage customers to leave you a Facebook review. These are powerful tools that potential customers will see and remember.
Is it just me?
The only comfort you can take from your sudden drop in engagement is that most business pages are experiencing the exact same thing. So, pull up your socks, put on your big girl/boy pants (under your trousers preferably unless you moonlight as a superhero) and get stuck into posting on your Facebook page. If you are a business that has been closed during the Covid hiatus, now is your time to post, post, post! Go for it and you WILL see an improvement. Good luck! Oh, and give us a like on Facebook 😊
