If you’re like most businesses, you probably rely on Facebook as a source of customers.
But things have been changing over the last year or so – the Facebook News Feed has become saturated with promotional material, and Facebook users are voting with their feet.
The situation has become so critical that Facebook has announced that the time has come to listen to its users and return to core values.
What this means is that Facebook will show LESS content from businesses and brands, and more from family and friends.
In an announcement in January, Mark Zuckerberg said:
… we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other … the balance of what’s in News Feed has shifted away from the most important thing Facebook can do — help us connect with each other…
… I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions…
… The first changes you’ll see will be in News Feed, where you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups. As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.
The recent Cambridge Analytica scandal only serves to sharpen Facebook’s focus on ensuring that their primary customer is looked after above all others.
(Hint: their primary customer is not your business)
What does this mean for your business?
- Your business is going to find it harder to reach people on Facebook unless you pay.
- The costs to reach people on Facebook will start to rise significantly as advertisers compete for fewer opportunities to appear in the News Feed. Some sources say a 10x increase in advertising costs is not unrealistic.
- The businesses who succeed on Facebook will be those who toe the line and “encourage meaningful interactions” with their audience.
So what can you do?
- Recognise that you’ve had it easy so far. Going forward, you’ll need to factor in the costs of getting new customers, and take steps to ensure you convert website visitors into paid customers as efficiently as possible to keep your cost-per-client down.
- Make your interactions with potential customers meaningful… tell stories they can empathise with, be their advocate, help them with useful information and advice (like this, hopefully), help them see you help people just like them.
- Always remember that ONE is the most dangerous number in business. There’s many a story of a business failing because their single source of customers dried up overnight – whether from a “Google Slap”, or change in policy from the likes of Facebook. Make sure that your business isn’t totally reliant on one source of new customers.
How can we help you?
As professional marketers who are dedicated to helping people build sustainable businesses, we’ve seen this coming for quite some time. It’s one of the reasons why we built Trust Vega.
As a result, Trust Vega members already have a head start. That’s because reviews are a natural source of client stories that potential clients can empathise and relate to.
Trust Vega reviews help build trust so that you convert more website visitors into paying customers, and also boost your ORGANIC search engine presence with rating stars.
If that sounds good, then why not get started below!
