3 News Feed Changes and How They Affect Your Facebook Page for Business

Facebook likes to make changes.

Have you noticed?

And with each change there's a fresh outcry from business owners who are caught off guard. 

But here's some good news: Facebook is doing a much better job these days notifying users of changes that will impact Pages they manage.

Want some more good news? 3 recent changes have had many Page admins heading for the hills. This means your competition may be leaving Facebook altogether.

Not you, though. You've got the gumption to look for the opportunity that lies within every adversity.

Join me for a look at how your Facebook Page for business can BENEFIT and flourish from these latest changes.

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3 News Feed Changes and How They Affect Your Facebook Page for Business

Facebook wants to create a user experience that keeps readers coming back to check the News Feed -- often.

Here's how FB announced the latest changes (April 21, 2015):

The goal of News Feed is to show you the content that matters to you. This means we need to give you the right mix of updates from friends and public figures, publishers, businesses and community organizations you are connected to. This balance is different for everyone depending on what people are most interested in learning about every day. As more people and pages are sharing more content, we need to keep improving News Feed to get this balance right.

Bravo for Facebook! "Right balance" is a good thing.

Some people curse every Facebook change, call it the "last straw" and threaten to dump Facebook forever. You can do that too -- OR you can choose to look for the pony in the pile and keep on building your Facebook business Page.

You KNOW the best attitude for an entrepreneur. Let's act on it!

1. This change removes rules regarding seeing multiple posts from the same user

Facebook wants to ensure you don't get overrun by a user or bored by seeing a ton of posts in a row from the same friend.

But for those who don't have many friends or haven't Liked many pages, the News Feed can look like a vacant lot (with weeds). This change is aimed at populating every News Feed with content (thereby encouraging the user to get more involved with Facebook).

What it means to your Facebook Page for business: You get more opportunity for placement. The person who gets the LEAST traffic could be your BEST customer.

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2. This change moves favored content higher in the News Feed

The "Fear Of Missing Out" (FOMO) is a powerful driver. Don't you hate it when you miss an important post? And there are times when you can miss a notification about a crucial event -- maybe a wedding, birth, product launch or some Post Planner wisdom.

OUCH!

With this change, Facebook is trying to help users stay engaged, up-to-date and happy. Posts like photos, videos, status updates and links will be higher in the News Feed to lessen the chance of them getting missed.

Facebook said this:

If you like to read news or interact with posts from Pages you care about, you will still see that content in News Feed. This update tries to make the balance of content the right one for each individual person.

What it means to your Facebook Page for business: Deliver content people care about, and they will care about YOU. Always, always, always seek to be helpful FIRST and sales will reflect your customers' gratitude.

The more Facebook traction your posts get, the higher they will rise in the News Feed. You don't always need to claim the top spot, but you do want to show up in the Feed.

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3. This change moves citations of Likes and comments lower in the News Feed

Facebook users say (based on a survey) they don't want to see mentions in their Feed when a friend simply Likes or comments on a post. Say "Goodbye" to the clutter.

Posts like this (see the screenshot) usually aren't the most cherished content in a user's Feed.

-- Remember Facebook's #1 goal is to get users more involved with -- and loyal to -- Facebook.

What the change means to your Facebook Page for business: Smart businesses know the closer you can get to the customer the more apt you are to get the order.

The gold starts jingling when you make a direct, positive impact on a potential customer or client. Here again, the better your content the more likely you will get placement in the News Feed.

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How Will the Changes Affect my Facebook Page for Business?

That's up to you.

Facebook said this:

The impact of these changes on your page’s distribution will vary considerably depending on the composition of your audience and your posting activity. In some cases, post reach and referral traffic could potentially decline. Overall, pages should continue to post things that your audience finds meaningful

The free ride has long been over on Facebook, and these changes serve to highlight (not reverse) that trend.

As Facebook says, you'll need to focus on posting content your user base loves and responds to.

Here at Post Planner that means lots of viral photos mixed in with links to our blog posts.

Remember: People don't want to be sold to on Facebook, they are looking for fun, helpful and imaginative interaction. If your Page posts the same propaganda over and over you become white noise.

When that happens, users will tune you out and SO WILL FACEBOOK.

Combine these types of posts to mix things up:

• Viral Photo
• Link to a blog post
• Viral Photo
• Link to a blog post
• Viral Photo
• Link to a blog post
• Question or fill in the blank text-only update

And yeah, you may need to Boost a post or run ads to get some engagement... hey, business is competitive -- right? My hope is that this article gives you a little more fuel to keep going and keep winning.

Got ideas of your own to share? 

Comments are open. Let's talk about it! :P