Despite Changes, We’re Still in a “Golden Era” of Facebook Advertising

Facebook advertising

If you’ve worked with Facebook advertising for any amount of time, you’ll come to know that there is one thing that is always certain: change is inevitable.

Changes come quickly and without warning.

It’s been a couple months since Facebook announced a major change to the algorithm that controls what users see in their feed.

An important component of that announcement was that users would see more posts from family and friends and fewer posts from businesses and brands.

Now that we have a few months of hindsight (and valuable data) to look back on, it’s a good time to reflect on those changes and look forward to what that means for businesses who utilize Facebook advertising.

Before we get started, I want to make something clear. Although some marketers have panicked, I still believe we’re in the Golden Era of Facebook advertising.

That is, there are still abundant opportunities to profit.

Although I believe it is the Golden Era, it is not the Wild West. Facebook advertising is young but it has evolved. In turn, the way advertisers interact with their prospects and customers must also evolve.

However, if you keep these 3 principles in mind, you’ll continue to thrive, despite these or any future algorithmic changes.

Facebook’s Goal Hasn’t Changed

Zuckerberg has been clear on his priorities from the beginning: to give the user a positive experience.

The changes to the newsfeed are consistent with that goal. He’d like to provide the user with more posts from friends and family that they’re likely to engage with and enjoy, and less mindless scrolling through the newsfeed.

What does that mean for businesses?

If you’ve consistently been adding value and have become a brand that your audience enjoys interacting with, your strategy should remain the same.

For brands who only push sales-driven content, they need to make a big change. If the content isn’t enjoyable, it simply won’t be shown.

Again, this isn’t anything new, it’s just more apparent after the early 2018 changes.

Facebook is About Community

“Community is the new brand.” - Ryan Deiss

The type of advertising that many of us have grown up hearing and seeing is much different than the type of advertising that is effective on social media.

Above all else, Facebook is a community. Brands who understand how to build a community are getting great results above those who push only conversion driven content.

Understandably, some business owners are not natural community builders and leaders, or they simply don’t have the time. That’s ok. If you’d like to build community, just ask for help.

Reach out to a super-fan and create a community manager role. If they’re already active on social media and speaking about your brand, it may be a natural fit.

Consider this a long-term strategy. A brand who is just starting to build community may not see results immediately. However, building a community will have long-term positive benefits for just about every business.

There’s Still Room To Stand Out

Facebook advertising is still evolving and this means there is still room to stand out.

New businesses begin advertising on Facebook every day, but many only push content that is sales-driven.

If you provide helpful content instead, you will stand out in the newsfeed among other advertisers.

As an example, in December of 2017, most users of Facebook advertising saw an increase in costs because there was a lot of competition for sales.

Our clients didn’t experience that spike. The reason is that we continued to provide value in a world where everyone else was selling.

Not only did costs remain low, but these clients were now poised for successful launches in early 2018 because they had very warm audiences to sell to.

The key is understanding how to monetize likes, comments, views, Facebook fans, and website visitors.

Final Thoughts

Compared to other advertising media, Facebook is still young. There will be more changes, but there’s no reason to panic.

Continue to remember what Facebook’s top priority is (user experience), and work with them on that priority by building community and adding value. If you continue to do that, your brand will remain strong through these and all future changes.


In the meantime, why not find out what the “7 biggest mistakes you’re making with your Facebook Ads are”, and how to fix them:

                       

Mari Connor

Marigold Marketing Group | Facebook Advertising