What Facebook 2018 Means for Small Business

Yet again Facebook has tinkered under the bonnet of how its algorithm works, and if you believe all the hype, it is bad news for businesses using the platform to reach their customers. But for those already creating quality content, it might just be business as usual.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, “The first changes you'll see will be in News Feed, where you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups.

As we roll this out, you'll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands and media.”

What do the Facebook changes mean for small business? 

• Your organic reach is likely to decline (again!).  Reach has been on the slide since 2014 when Facebook first introduced advertising and later adjusted its algorithm to prioritise content from family and friends.
• Video, if already King, is now an omnipresent ogliarchical King.  We all know that Facebook loves video in all its forms.  The good news is, video doesn’t have to be hard.
  
  There’s plenty of apps available these days that can make even the dodgiest video skills look super pro.  My favourites include:

o    Lapse It for fantastic time lapse videos

o    Filmora that works equally well with video or photos stitched together to create a video.

o    Ripl for making images into video with awesome effects and transitions.

…. And let’s not forget Facebook live. 

Be engaging!

Under the new Facebook paradigm quality, engaging and informative comment will be a must.  Want to know how to create engagement? Be engaging!  Remember it’s called “social media” and no one wants to be talked at constantly.  Ask questions of your audience and answer their questions.  Simple stuff really!

Encourage people to follow your page

Having people liking your page may not be enough anymore. Encourage people to follow your page. Checking “see first” under the follow tab (see video below) will ensure people won’t miss a post from you.

Marketing with Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups will become ever more important for those looking to market their business on Facebook as they are communities of people united by a specific topic.  Do you sell a pet related product? Sell within a geographic area? Sell to parents? Car lovers? Gardeners?  There’s a group  (or two or three or more) for you.

Groups are great way to connect with potential customers and give you the opportunity to help people whilst at the same time showing off your expertise and positioning yourself as an expert withing your industry.You might even consider starting your own group to stay in touch with your existing customer base and fans. 

In short....

Engaging, informative content and plenty of video will see you on the right track in 2018. 

At Alfalfa we know keeping up with the world of social media can be tough - that's where we come in.  If you'd like help with your small business social media marketing,we can help.  From short, tailored social media training at your workplace to ongoing social media management, we offer a wide range of affordable, customisable options.