Dearest Mashable Reader,
Recently, you read a Mashable article titled “8 Ways to Beat Facebook’s Algorithm and Keep Your Consumers Engaged” that has caused me to reevaluate their article intentions and quality… and you should too.
As a trusted social media news source, I cannot help but wonder what they were thinking posting an article that includes tips that will be detrimental to businesses that use Facebook as a marketing platform.
First off, there is no “true” way to “beat the Facebook algorithm”.
The Facebook algorithm is intended to provide news feeds with content worthy to each individual Facebook user.
Not to mention, that trying to “beat the Facebook system” is not good advice, as many will always try for a shortcut. If you have ever taken one, you know that shortcuts can turn into a long drawn out error, and in some instances, it may be too late to turn around.
The article consists of thoughts from individual small business owners and their experiences, but as the article projects, its thoughts on Facebook Algorithmic changes not being favored by business owners.
As a business owner, you need to always respect the marketing platform you choose to use to market your brand.
Facebook has made it very clear that its organic reach no longer has value and whether it is “liked” or not, you need to begin adding Facebook Ads as a part of your Facebook marketing. period.
Why waste time trying to “game the system” in hopes that one of the suggested ideas from the small business owners selected for the article may work? It would be a lot easier to just apply Facebook Ads with a strong social strategy. This is a known system that does work when applied correctly, people!
Facebook Ads are the most inexpensive form of advertising and in many cases you earn your money back by either increased website traffic or someone purchasing a product. You simply need to ensure that your content is of quality.
Speaking of quality content…
The article is concerning, but the text that Mashable shared on one of its Facebook pages is even more alarming. They stated “ Posting 4-6 times a day increases engagement without paying”
This is concerning as it is false and due to Mashable’s authoritative voice, they received 102 likes and 80 shares, which means that they have spread this false information across Facebook.
Look, if you are a news site, you may be able to get away with posting twice a day but even that can be too much.
Imagine if all the pages you have “liked” decided to post 4-6 times per day. Would you want to see all of that content? Chances are you would unlike the page or hide their posts which hurts the page. (Page owners take note!)
However, since organic reach is pretty much dead and you should be using Facebook Ads, be aware that Facebook promoted posts last approximately 2 days, which is only viable to you if your content is of quality and well liked amongst your audience.
If it is, then you can get the most out of your Facebook Ad without having to post every day to every second day.
Let’s be honest, quality decreases when you increase your posts. If you’re looking for algorithmic shortcuts than you are already lacking in providing your Facebook audience with quality.
Your valuable time should be spent on working the algorithm in your favor and understanding it to the best of your ability. If you do not have the time, you should hire a dedicated person who does.
If you are looking to gain success from your digital marketing efforts, then Facebook is not a social site you should ignore or disrespect. You need to value its platform in order for it to provide value.
And if it’s not providing value, you need to reevaluate your strategy.
If you are going to write an article that literally tells you how to skip out on one of the most powerful social networks then you need to provide real facts or statistics.
If you are going to write an article that attempts to provide insight into one of the most powerful social networks, you need to back that insight up with facts and statistics.
You can’t entrust your entire company’s strategy to small business owners who most likely never properly used Facebook Ads or Facebook for Business.
I am curious to see their page engagement… Aren’t you?
Are their pages, or even better, YOUR Facebook page posts bringing engagement like this?
An article directly from a dealerships blog that was posted on their Facebook page and was seen by over 14,000 people, received 132 likes, 4 comments and 27 shares.
Great quality content like the example above, is relevant to your audience and when Facebook Ads are applied you will suddenly have a success recipe of creating brand trust, increased web traffic and SEO social signals.
How about posting one of the most difficult products to sell online…like the second most expensive purchase a person will make: a vehicle.
This vehicle inventory post reached over 9,000 people, 706 likes, 10 comments and 9 shares.
These are just some examples of what working with the Facebook Algorithm and having a strong social strategy looks like.
Not to mention, the traffic Facebook can legitimately bring in a 1 month span. I will let it speak for itself.
The point is, you can have success on Facebook and I root for you, this is the point of the article after all, and the reason for my needing to have my voice heard on this matter.
My voice may not be as loud as Mashable’s (which is unfortunate in this instance) but my experience derives on applying social strategies and not just writing about it should be taken into account.
Understanding the Facebook Algorithm is not only a passion of mine, but the Facebook platform is something I have studied for years to ensure clients I work with constantly see a tangible ROI.
I hope this article finds you before you make any pivotal changes to your Facebook Marketing based on the Mashable article, as that is not going to help your business.
Do not take these shortcuts! You still have time to stop and turn around.