It’s probably safe to say that change is the ‘new black’ in the world of social media and digital marketing. That’s because the online world is fast-moving and ever-changing. Therefore we have to design our digital marketing strategies to be able to roll with the punches, so to speak, by taking account of such change and making allowances for it. Case in point is the Facebook News Feed Update – just when we might think we have Facebook nailed as a key component of our digital marketing strategy, Facebook changes some or other part of the Facebook algorithm, and we all have to go back to the drawing board to adapt our strategies accordingly.
Is that disruptive to our own online marketing? Sure. Does it take us by surprise? Maybe, but it really shouldn’t because we’ve all known for a long time that things are constantly changing on Facebook. We’ve had to deal with their changes before – and we’ve adapted to them and carried on – and we’ll have to deal with their changes, in some or other form, again in future.
What to do about Facebook’s latest change to its news feed algorithm?
There’s no real need to panic about the recently announced changes to the Facebook news feed algorithm that will take effect around July this year. After all, it’s just another one in a long line of Facebook changes. But does that mean we sit back and do nothing? Definitely not.
But instead of getting swept along by all the hype out there that this latest change means that Facebook can no longer be a viable tool in one’s digital marketing toolkit, it’s better to take a step back and get some perspective on your digital marketing efforts.
Facebook is merely one component of a digital marketing strategy
When you take a holistic look at the full spectrum of your digital marketing efforts you’ll realise that rather than Facebook is the key to making your business successful online, it’s merely one component of your online marketing strategy.
Instead, the secret to success lies in using the things you can’t fully control, like Facebook, to your best advantage where and when you can, while at the same time focusing more on the things you can control. Things like your website, your blog posts, the content you create for your website and the various other digital marketing channels that you use, including Facebook, that will engage your audience (and position you as an authority in your particular industry).
Success online is all about engaging your target audience
The whole purpose of the latest changes to the Facebook news feed algorithm (according to Facebook) is to highlight content for its users that will improve their well-being, and get them talking and engaging. Nothing new in that is there? After all, we’ve been saying for years that valuable content that engages your target audience is the key to success in using social media for business.
Of course, not all brands are created equal when it comes to stirring up audience talk about them, especially on social media. In fact, many target audiences simply don’t want to talk about a brand on social media, including Facebook. Brands or businesses such as garden services, electronics suppliers, lawyers and accountants (and hundreds of others) are not known for being the sort of brands that people want to talk to or about on social media. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Maybe your brand is one where your perfect target customer just doesn’t feel the need to engage with your content publicly on some or other social network. That’s also quite OK.
But here’s the important bit to remember. Just because your target audience doesn’t feel the need to engage publicly with your brand on social media, that doesn’t mean they don’t visit your website or watch your videos or read your blogs or social media posts. All it means is they’re not commenting on your posts (including your Facebook posts); it doesn’t mean they’re not reading them, or thinking about them, or quietly making decisions to take some or other action as a result of them.
Digital marketing reality check: Facebook is not your only avenue to online success
So, the digital marketing reality check is namely this: while Facebook, with its billion+ users, does present a huge opportunity to grow a business online, engaging with your target audience via Facebook is not your only avenue to online success.
Instead of focusing all your digital marketing efforts solely on Facebook engagement, focus rather on developing top-quality content for the right mix of online marketing components (which can still include Facebook) that will attract and engage the specific target audience for your unique business.
If you’re serious about building a successful online profile for your business, then it’s time you partnered with Net Branding, a leading Auckland digital marketing company. We’re just a click or phone call away, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Net Branding today to find out more about how we can help you develop a digital marketing strategy that will ensure an effective online presence for your business.
