Changes Are Afoot: What You Need To Know About Facebook's Latest Changes

At a glance Explore Facebook's newest updates and their impact on your content marketing strategy. Discover how news feed changes aim to enhance user experience.

Today it was announced a series of new changes are coming to a Facebook page near you. Periodically, Facebook changes things like this to enhance the user's experience. The downside is marketers need to be aware of the changes and how that impacts their content marketing strategy. The change you will start seeing is focused on users' News Feeds and aims to provide a richer content-focused experience. But just because there is a change coming doesn't mean you need to worry. There are three updates, and we're covering it in detail for you:

Update 1: It's All About Balance

Content from friends will be prioritised. To address concerns that users might miss important updates from the people they really care about, the new algorithm now factors that in. This doesn't mean that News Feeds will no longer show content from pages but the balance will be stronger with individuals having a stronger preference. It's all about balance.

Update 2: It's All About Content

If a user consumes the first round of content in the News Feed, then more (and/or duplicate) content from other sources will be displayed. The goal of this is to ensure richer, more relevant content is seen first, and for those with smaller networks, there will always be a rich display of content available in their News Feed. It's all about the content.

Update 3: It's All About Real Stories

Remember seeing stories regarding your friends' activities, like how they commented on another post? Stories like this:

Well, that is no more. Facebook is drastically reducing the updates on the likes and comments of your friends. What we're interested in are the real stories, not our general activity.

So, what does this really mean for your brand page?

Facebook says the impact will "vary considerably depending on the composition of your audience and your posting activity." Your content will come after friends and their activity on your page won't be seen as much; but if you're creating solid content, then those friends may be sharing it, giving it the same prominence. The main tenant of your Facebook activity remains unchanged: create valuable content that's relevant to your audience. Content is king.

Nicky Yates Published on April 27, 2015 9:26 pm

Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQs

How do Facebook's latest algorithm changes affect brand pages?

Facebook's new algorithm prioritizes content from friends over brand pages, which means your brand content will have less visibility in users' news feeds. However, if you create valuable content that friends share, it can still achieve good reach and engagement.

Why is Facebook prioritizing friends' content over business pages?

Facebook made this change to address user concerns about missing important updates from people they care about. The goal is to create better balance in the news feed so users see more personal content from their friends and family first.

What happened to Facebook stories about friends' likes and comments?

Facebook has drastically reduced these activity-based stories in the news feed. You'll no longer see as many updates about your friends liking or commenting on other posts, as Facebook wants to focus on 'real stories' rather than general activity.

How should brands adjust their Facebook content strategy after these changes?

The core strategy remains the same: create valuable, relevant content for your audience. Focus on quality over quantity since your content needs to be compelling enough for friends to share it, which gives it the same prominence as personal posts.