02 Apr Truths and Myths: No One Sees Your Brand’s Unsponsored Facebook Content

If you market your business or services on Facebook, you probably know that Facebook’s latest round of changes affected many brand pages. We’re seeing some contradicting articles about the specific impact these changes have had on brands, so today we’re separating the truths from myths.

Myth:

Unless you advertise on Facebook, none of your brand’s fans will see your content.

Truth:

In December, Facebook announced that given their new focus on making Facebook a more news-centric experience, many brand pages would be seeing a dip in organic reach. Facebook recommended that brands consider advertising as part of their content marketing strategy to combat this setback. Marketers felt the effect of this change quickly, sharing that organic reach was dropping on their brand pages. Facebook later released a blog post outlining the types of posts that are most likely to be displayed in individual newsfeeds- posts from brands that include a link with a picture. (Read their blog to see what that looks like.) Text-only and image based posts will be less prioritized than in the past. While some unsponsored content will still appear on newsfeeds, it will be minimal.

Takeaway for communicators:

If your target audience isn’t active on Facebook, this might be a good time to take a step back and place your focus on a different communications channel. If your target audience is on Facebook, it is probably time to develop a smart advertising strategy and pony up some cash. If you’re hoping to get unsponsored content onto your fan’s newsfeeds, heed Facebook’s advice and lean on organic content that contains a link over other content types, while testing what other post types work for your specific audience.

Learn more about how BRG can help you develop a social media strategy to reach your audience where they live online: click here.