Facebook’s Changes Are Great

Facebook has recently announced changes to its News Feed and it has everyone freaking out. We here at Buzz Frenzy are taking a decidedly un-chicken-little approach to the announcement because we think the changes are going to be for the better. Both for the users (your customers) and the businesses who want to connect with them (you).

HERE IS THE BIG CHANGE:

Facebook will “prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people.”

And maybe even more importantly:

“…Using “engagement-bait” to goad people into commenting on posts is not a meaningful interaction, and we will continue to demote these posts in News Feed.”

Well, hallelujah! As a Facebook user, I am a little tired of seeing posts that are wholly irrelevant to me. I want to see what my friends are up to, how my family is doing, and what is going on in my community. Clickbait is a total bummer. Good riddance.

This is all great for the user, but for businesses it may sound like a death knell. It’s not.

FACEBOOK LIKES BUSINESS

Many businesses are worried that Facebook is going to de-prioritize their Page posts to such a degree that they will completely lose their reach. It’s a fair worry if you are a business that puts up meaningless content to drive engagement. But, if you are a business that puts up meaningful content, well… you have a little more breathing room now.

Facebook is a business just like any other. They have bottom lines and net profit concerns just like you and me. They make their money on advertising and they make a lot of it. They are NOT going to stop that money train from doing what it does. They just want to reshape how that money train works. It’s pretty easy to take any money from any body for any thing. Now Facebook has come to the realization that they can be more selective in what money they are taking from whom and for what. They can dictate that advertisers need to be more relevant.

Again Hallelujah!

“Local businesses connect with their communities by posting relevant updates and creating events.”

RESONANCE IS MORE MEANINGFUL THAN EVER

Judging a post on mere impressions doesn’t indicate success in any meaningful way. Buzz Frenzy customers know that we stress engagement above all else. A high Resonance indicates a higher percentage of engagement and therefore a better post. The Resonance Score is our main metric that highlights what is working and not working with your Facebook advertising.

Facebook understands this and is changing their systems to more accurately reflect how their users want to communicate. Facebook knows that a constant stream of straight-up, old-fashioned advertising (glossy pics and ad-copy language) is not the experience their customers want. As such they now claim:

“Page posts that generate conversation between people will show higher in the News Feed.”

It’s as if Facebook has been reading out of Buzz Frenzy’s rulebook. We tell all of our clients that having a conversation with their customers is more valuable than any ad they can come up with. Your customers are social creatures who are curious about what is going on around them. Talk to them. Be social. Not only is that the most effective way to interact with them, but it is how Facebook wants you to interact with them.

As a Buzz Frenzy user you have the tools to give Facebook exactly what it wants. These new changes are exactly what Facebook needs and will strengthen the relationships you are already forming with your customers.

If you hear Chicken Little crying, tell him “good riddance.”