November 21, 2017

Three Facebook Algorithm Changes You Need to Know

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Michael Jenkins
Michael Jenkins

CEO - Shout Agency
[email protected]

Overview

Facebook constantly changes. Being able to navigate these changes separates successful marketers from those who struggle. This means keeping on top of the newest trends on Facebook.

Right now, changes include Facebook Messenger Ads, website speeds, and the addition of the Virtual Reality in the newsfeed. Below we discuss how you can take advantage of these new trends to get the most out of your Facebook marketing.

Three Trends to Get The Most Out of Recent Facebook Changes

1. Facebook Messenger Ads

Facebook Messenger Ads launched as a trial in Australia as well as Thailand. The trial was a success, and is now expanding to all 2.0 Billion+ users around the world.

The ads now come in directly through the Facebook messenger app on mobile devices. It is a great way to explore Facebook ads, since the messenger app has a higher open rate than emails. Recent studies show 88% open rates on Facebook messenger compared to roughly 25% open rate for emails.

These ads have a format similar to a newsfeed ad including the headline, copy, image, and call-to-action.

Because of the high open rate you also get a high click through rate as well from Facebook Messenger Ads. These ads then lead to conversions.

The key is turning your content from other channels towards Facebook messenger ads.

2. Website Affects Facebook Clicks

Facebook now looks at website loading speeds to determine whether they will share your story on the newsfeed.

Not surprising, since Facebook started looking at speed in 2016 when they launched Instant Articles. Instant Articles allow publishers to create fast-loading, interactive articles directly on Facebook.

One of the challenges to this program was that it hurt publishers’ ad revenue. Facebook decided to improve the program to help publishers increase their reach.

By encouraging publishers to produce a faster-loading website, this approach helps publishers deliver content on newsfeeds to Facebook users.

As Facebook stated, “Factors such as the person’s current network connection and the general speed of the corresponding webpage will be considered. If signals indicate the webpage will load quickly, the link to that webpage might appear higher in your feed.”

We have talked a lot about how you can improve your website speed for Google. With Facebook looking at Instant Articles and general web site speed, it is something you need to look into if you want to continue receiving traffic from Facebook.

3. Facebook Virtual Reality

With the new Facebook Oculus coming out as well as advances in Virtual Reality (VR) technology, it is not surprising that Facebook marketers might need to look into creating VR content on their news feed.

Facebook is working on plans to allow third-party VR developers to start using their platform in the near future to kick off the VR revolution on Facebook newsfeeds. It could be the first step in making content virtual.

This is not a surprise. Ever since the launch of Pokémon Go last year, the marketing world has been investigating how augmented (AR) and virtual reality will change the internet.

Facebook wants to push the envelope, which means you need to have an VR and AR plan in place to start taking advantage of these changes.

Final Thoughts

Facebook constantly changes their site to deal with the ever evolving landscape of the internet. If you want to benefit from marketing your business on the social network then you should take the time to educate yourself on these changes.

The more you understand them, the more you can benefit from these changes.

If you still have questions about how you can use these recent changes on Facebook to your advantage, schedule a free consultation session with us at Shout!. We want to prepare your online marketing for the future.

 

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        As Founder and Director of Shout Web Strategy, Michael Jenkins is at the forefront of digital marketing. Since it’s inception in 2009, Shout has built a strong reputation as one of Australia’s leading strategic SEO agencies, assisting online businesses to formulate, implement and track successful marketing strategies. Michael is a respected thought leader and digital strategist, specialising in online strategy, corporate SEO, Google retargeting, email and conversion rate optimisation, and online reputation management. Follow Michael on Google+, connect with him through LinkedIn or visit the Shout Web Strategy website.

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