Facebook Changes – How to make the most of them!

On March 7, Facebook announced changes which could impact your small business marketing. These changes, which are positive and move Facebook in a good direction, gives Facebook users the choice to view news feeds for either just their friends, or for the pages they like or for the music their friends are listening to.

Therefore, if your fans choose to view the news feed from just their friends, they aren't going to be seeing your posts like they used to! So what can you do to ensure your posts remain visible. Here are some tips:

1.   Instead of text only status updates, include photos or other visual content. Visual content can appear in photos-only News Feeds or a "following" brands News Feed. Therefore, visual content has the opportunity to gain a larger reach.

2.   If your fans have opted to view just their friends’ posts, they won't be seeing yours. Facebook ads may become more and more important for businesses to be found on Facebook. If you advertise on Facebook, include an eye-catching picture in the ad. This will attract clicks on your ad.

3.   One of the Facebook changes allows video to have a larger prominence on your Facebook page than it had in the past. If you post videos, invest in a professional video producer to help you make your story told effectively.

4.   Post content in that is interesting and, therefore, sharable. If your posts aren’t shared, your message isn’t getting out. It’s worth the extra time spent to make sure your posts are liked and shared. Facebook gives you a ranking dependent on how popular your posts are. If no one ever interacts with your fan page, that's not good for you or your ranking.

5.   Grow your fan base. The more people that like your page, the more opportunities you have to send people to your website. Facebook ads can help you grow your fan base. Also, advertise your Facebook page on your website and in your place of business. Your customers are your fans….so encourage them to “like” you on your Facebook page.