These days, it seems we can’t go a few months without hearing that Facebook is making some big changes.

Changes to its algorithm.

Changes to its newsfeed.

Changes to what its users will see and won’t see.

And, soon after the changes are announced… comes the panic.

Business owners, content creators, and marketers take to the streets, while Godzilla stomps their businesses into the ground.

Okay, maybe it’s not THAT bad. But, the panic is real.

Business owners who rely on Facebook as a platform to promote their businesses and engage their target audiences feel like they’ve been thrown a curve ball.

They feel betrayed and lost.

They know what’s coming. Less visibility. A big drop in their engagement. Fewer new follows and likes.

Silence.

Crickets.

It’s hard being an entrepreneur. Every time something like this happens, it affects our bottom line.

Not to mention, the stress.

And, it’s particularly frustrating because it’s completely out of our control.

But, here’s the thing. If you are one of those business owners who throws their hands up in the air every time Facebook shakes up their algorithm, you need to take a hard look at your stance.

The algorithm isn’t at fault here. Your mindset and your lack of strategy are at fault.

Sure, there will be little hacks and tricks you can learn to combat the new Facebook, but in a broader sense, if you want to beat the latest Facebook algorithm, here’s how…

Why social media platforms have to change their algorithms

First and foremost, understand that this has happened before.

And, it will happen again.

And again, and again.

It happens on Facebook, it happens on Instagram, and it happens pretty much across the board on all the major social media platforms.

It’s happening right now, actually, even when you’re not paying attention, just on a smaller scale.

That’s right, the algorithms are constantly changing.

If they didn’t dodge and weave, the stagnant algorithms would get “hacked” and Facebook would be flooded with content that doesn’t necessarily deserve attention.

Facebook needs to constantly evolve so that the user experience stays relevant. People come to Facebook to be social and to have fun – not to figure out how they can spend money on you and your business. Hard truth.

Facebook – or any social media platform – only cares about making its users happy.

Allowing businesses to spam their newsfeeds with self-serving content is going to turn off their users.

When the users are unhappy, they will stop using the platform and migrate to another one.

Then, the businesses will have no one to talk to and engage with on Facebook.

And, the advertisers will leave, and Facebook will die.

Newsflash – Facebook wants to live.

It wants to stay relevant and valuable to its users. This is a GOOD THING for entrepreneurs who use Facebook as a business platform.

The more fun Facebook is, the more people who will use it, the more business you can do, and the more you’ll spend on advertising, and now everyone is happy.

So, if you’ve been complaining about the algorithm changing, STOP.

Because, the truth is, we ALL need the algorithm.

Content is still King

There will always be tips and tricks you can use to get more visibility on Facebook.

Post at different times. Post more frequently. Post less frequently. Attach pictures to your links. Post more videos. Post more NATIVE videos. It goes on and on.

But, at the end of the day, one thing will stay the same.

If your content is bad, you won’t get good results.

It won’t matter how often you post or if it’s a video… if the right audience doesn’t like it, it won’t get past the algorithm so that they can see it.

The solution is to make better content.

Remember, users are on Facebook to have fun and socialize. Maybe they want to learn something. Maybe they want to be inspired. Your content should do these things for them.

This is very much all about going back to basics – know your audience, know what value they need from you, and know how to give it to them.

And then, deliver quickly and consistently. Without fail.

If THIS is messing you up, you have way bigger problems than any social media algorithm.

Content is still King.

Long live the King.

Accepting change is a part of being in business

It can be frustrating to have to pivot every time there is a new social media algorithm, but there are a couple of things to be mindful of here.

First, if change bothers you, you have no business being in business.

Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It’s for people who LIKE to learn new things. It’s for people who want to adapt and evolve, otherwise they get bored and restless.

The rest of the population can go back to their cubicles and live out the rest of their careers (and lives) one identical day at a time, and if they are happy with it, then no problem.

And, the same thing will happen on social media. Don’t want to change? Don’t want to level up your content? Then leave and make room for those who do.

Diversify your efforts

In any case, there are a few things you can do to temper the aftershock of every algorithm shakeup that happens.

Or, at least buy you some time while you respond to the new changes.

Instead of relying on one social media platform, diversify your efforts across many platforms.

It is standard good practice to have a strong presence on all or many of the Big 5 social media platforms.

These 5 monster platforms dominate the social media universe and, chances are, the audience you are trying to reach is engaging heavily on one or several of these 5 beasts.

The stronger you are across multiple platforms, the greater your chances of reaching the right people and growing your business.

And, the less reliant you will be on one platform.

You can’t control everything that happens on social media, but you can do your best to manage it, just by being strategic and diversifying your efforts.

Build your email list

As you are building your social media presence across multiple platforms, make sure you are also leveraging your social media presence to build your email list.

You require both email and social media in order to build a strong online presence.

Social media is excellent for reaching out to a wide, targeted audience, and finding new people you may otherwise never have access to.

Email is useful for keeping track of these people, and engaging with them in a more reliable way.

It takes 7-21 impressions (or more, depending on which research you want to listen to) to convert a lead into a sale.

Making this number of impressions on social media takes a major amount of hustle.

Sending this same group an email requires less effort on your part, and delivers with greater consistency.

Also, let’s not forget the fact that you OWN and CONTROL your email list. No algorithm or change in trends is ever going to change that.

Do both!

Make it your social media strategy’s end game to grow your email list, and leverage both to grow your business.

When Facebook – or any major social media platform, for that matter – changes up its algorithm or newsfeed in a major way, it can be very stressful to entrepreneurs that use social media as a business platform. The thing to remember is that algorithms are for the greater good, whereby they keep social media relevant and valuable to its users. Business owners need to have the same approach in order to stay relevant and valuable to their target audience – quite simply, they need to get better at providing better content. Change is just a part of the social media marketing revolution – it is necessary in order for social media to survive. In much the same way, businesses need to accept that change is a necessary part of staying in business. As a business owner, entrepreneur, or freelancer, you can temper the aftershocks of major social media algorithm changes by diversifying your efforts across multiple platforms. It is best to stick to the Big 5. Also, leverage your social media presence to grow your email list. Email is still an important part of your online marketing strategy, and you own and control your list regardless of what the algorithms do.

 

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