How to beat Facebook’s new algorithm?

With 2.8 billion monthly users, Facebook remains one of the most active platforms when it comes to end users and their social media activity. However, this social media giant also gives quite a headache to all those who use social media for professional purposes, because achieving the desired reach on a business page (or brand page) as opposed to a personal profile can be quite a challenging task.

What is new?

One of the most significant recently introduced changes to Facebook’s algorithm involves prioritizing groups and events. Group posts by one’s friends appear much more often in their newsfeed than they did before. Changes in this direction began last year, when due to the global pandemic, searching for available online events, as well as being connected and sharing experiences in Facebook groups became extremely important. Another significant change the users may notice is the recognition of biased content and abuse of advertising by business users. In an effort to combat inaccurate healthcare, political, economic and all other socially sensitive information, the algorithm for detecting clickbait and suspicious headlines has been improved. Pages that share such content will face sanctions such as advertising bans, resulting in a reduced reach.

Original vs. shared video content

One of the biggest challenges for business profiles is the quality of their content, especially when it comes to videos. Although different factors (like video duration) have always been important, and even Facebook itself recommends posting videos that are at least three minutes long, the primary element affecting the current algorithm is quality and original content. Edited or shared content will not achieve the same level of visibility as original content.

Use the algorithm to your advantage

Despite the challenges that the new and rapidly changing Facebook algorithm presents, with a clever communication strategy, this social media platform can become a great ally of yours and help you reach the desired audience. Always make sure your posts are public, post content that will lead to meaningful comments, ask questions to encourage engagement, include locations in your posts, and use original video content that was not previously shared on other pages. Finally and most importantly, even though nowadays there is a myriad of social media platforms, never underestimate the power of good old Facebook!