You’ve undoubtedly noticed that Facebook has pretty much shut down organic exposure for Pages. At least 90% less views than previously, and that’s for people who intentionally Liked your page, expecting to get notifications of your Page Posts. If they’re not on that list they will most likely never see your posts anymore. Previously if your followers liked or commented it would show up in their friends feeds, with the intent of giving your page exposure as a reward for engagement.
Engagement? You’ve undoubtedly read the classic UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging? If like me you’d spent the last three years building a solid base of followers that liked, commented, shared, and generally engaged with you on your Page it appears as though on Facebook at least, it was pretty much a total waste of time. Facebook has slid back into the Banner Advertising Model of the 1990’s. Remember when every page of a website was splattered with crappy annoying ads for stuff you could not possibly care less about? If you are looking forward to translate this content, contact Translation Services UK
Will Bacon Meme pics still “Engage” on Facebook or do you have to pay for that too?
So now Facebook wants money for your own fans to see your own Page Posts, the ones they subscribed to. I have done a few experiments in and out of the page followers network, and just before the latest Facebook update you could expect to fill your funnel from outside the network for a fairly reasonable rate, depending on your own ROI limits. Just after the latest Facebook update though, the rate is just ridiculous on a per-engagement rate. I immediately stopped all of my ad campaigns. As a low-dollar Facebook Page (I don’t have a $1000 hair-replacement cream package to fill the funnel at $10 per click) this won’t work long-term.
Lest you think this is a case of sour grapes or eggs in one basket, let me go back to the origins of Social Media and the gurus at the forefront who advocated us in bypassing the whole old-fashioned Banner Advertising Model and engaging with our users and followers and fans to encourage them to be our Brand Ambassadors and to spread the word about our coolness. For a while there it seemed that the Social Media site owners (maybe not the stock holders) were on the same page.
Tagging other Pages can get you some exposure, maybe, depending – Target/SanRio
Now that Zuck seems to be flipping that on its ear and going back to the 90’s (along with Google with their understanding of their own Panda/Penguin algorithms) I’m not sure where Social Media will be after the whole thing shakes out and the dust settles. Twitter seems to be heading toward Sponsored Tweets and I’m not sure how far that will go. Right now AFAIK everyone sees every Tweet all the time no matter what, if that’s what they want to do. Would there be a rebellion if they changed that on us?
Right now only a few small Page managers on Facebook seem to be complaining. I’m not seeing General Mills or Coca Cola making any fuss about this. Probably not, since no one else out there can outbid them for likes and views. Heck with Engagement, they’re celebrity status major media purchasers.
