How to Deal With Facebook's Choice of Friends Over Publishers

Facebook recently announced the latest update to the algorithm that drives the feed that users see on Facebook. With the latest changes made by Facebook, you'll see posts from your friends in your feed more often, and you'll see posts from publishers and news outlets less. However, when a news article is shared or liked by someone, it will then be recognized by the algorithm and Facebook will begin to display more of that type of content in that person’s feed. Note that there are settings within Facebook to adjust which pages or friends’ posts you see first—but most users don’t know that even exists.

Changes in the “secret sauce” by tech companies like Google and Facebook are aimed at providing users with a better experience and giving them what they want. This is one of the ways that both companies are seeking to stay relevant in an ever-changing and technologically-driven world. These changes can be frustrating for businesses who are using the platforms, but in this post we'll look at some ways to mitigate the impact of this recent Facebook change.

Like most algorithms, Facebook’s is dynamic—actions taken by users on today’s feed will be reflected in future feeds.  So if you really like to see news from CNN, or even cute cat pictures, you can like and share them and Facebook will give you more of those types of posts.

3 Recommendations for Businesses

1. Don’t Ignore the Change. 

As change is inevitable, companies that want to be in the best position to handle those changes need to understand what changes are happening and not ignore that they are taking place. Sticking your head in the sand and ignoring these latest Facebook changes doesn’t help anyone's social media presence… except your competitors'.

2. Use Facebook Ads. 

If your target persona is on Facebook and reaching them there is part of your marketing strategy, you should certainly be looking at Facebook sponsored posts. These sponsored posts will show up in a user's news feed based on your audience criteria. Facebook is in business to make money, so when you purchase an ad targeted to a specific audience, this will show up in their feed.

3. Back to Basics—Publish Quality Content. 

When changes like this happen, it’s good to pay more attention to best practices and core principles when coming up with your approach to dealing with the change. Most principles and best practices stand the test of time because they are just that, a proven concept that shouldn’t be violated or ignored. That’s what we recommend at LeadG2 for every business we work with: go back to the basics and create quality content that your target persona is interested in, and then share it on your social networks. This includes content that you are sharing from others as well—curate great content so you become a trusted and valued part of your target persona’s Facebook and social media experience and you can’t go wrong. 

Want to Learn More?

Here are a few articles for more in-depth coverage.

Techcrunch: Facebook puts friends above publishers in “News Feed Values” and ranking change

NY Times: Facebook to Change News Feed to Focus on Friends and Family

Forbes: Facebook Changes Could Mean Friendmageddon For Mainstream Media