Facebook Changes News Feed and Here’s the 4 Things You Must Do

Facebook continues to make changes in how posts from Pages show in someone’s feed and this January Facebook will begin limiting the number of promotional posts people see. This won’t reduce (and according to Facebook, it won’t increase) ads shown in the feed, it will limit what Facebook deems as overly promotional organic posts.

“The idea is to increase the relevance and quality of the overall stories — including Page posts — people see in their News Feeds,” said Facebook on their blog.

Facebook defines promotional content as:

  1. Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app
  2. Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context
  3. Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads

This comes on the heels of several Facebook news feed changes that may are pointing to the demise of organic reach on Facebook. How does this change my nonprofit’s Facebook strategy? What tactics can I use to respond to these changes?

1. Motivate Facebook Fans to Give You Their Email Address

Over the past 18 months, one of the biggest challenges with Facebook marketing is not knowing exactly what changes are on the horizon and how it will impact organic reach. We believe that eventually organic reach on larger nonprofit Facebook pages will reach close to 0%, so marketing on Facebook will significantly change.

It’s not possible to download an email list of all of your fans, but there are some techniques you can use to convert people from a fan to a lead:

  1. Create a digital asset to give away, such as an ebook or free report. You can use existing assets at your nonprofit and compile them into something valuable for your audience. Use a landing page to offer the download in exchange for contact information.
  2. Host an online event such as a chat with your founder or an author who’s popular with your nonprofit’s audience. This can be as simple as an hour long webcam chat, or a more formal professionally produced event. Ask people to register and then give away prizes during the event.
  3. Create social engagement tools such as quizzes or surveys to convert people to a lead. Think personality type quizzes or entertainment quizzes, but tailored for your industry. For example, if you manage a pet shelter, you could create a quiz “What breed of dog are you?”

2. Facebook Isn’t the Only Social Network … Build in Multiple Social Networks

Facebook is the largest social network with the most reach, but shouldn’t be your only social presence. Many nonprofits have found Pinterest and Instagram contribute to social success. LinkedIn is often a hidden gem of engagement as it’s targeted to business professionals, but may be a source to connect with donors and business influencers that can have a positive impact for your organization.

Explore other tools such as SnapChat and WhatsApp for creative engagement opportunities with your fans. One university we work with is Snapping admission acceptance letters to students before it arrives in the mail creating an opportunity for excitement.

3. Create an Ad Budget

Facebook is still a great digital ad investments – when its done right. Start testing paid posts and advertisements to see what impact they can have on acquiring leads and getting people to invest time on your website. Facebook provides an easy platform to A/B test ideas with very little cash, allowing you to find the right ads for your demographic.

You can also create Facebook Custom Audiences to target ads to your donor base and similar profiles. It’s a powerful tool to convert donors in multi-channel marketing campaigns. Lookalike audiences allow you to find people who are similar to your fans to discover new stakeholders for your nonprofit.

4. Post Engaging Content

We know you’re already doing this – but keep it up! Creating content that creates interaction – Likes, Shares, and Comments – will keep you in the News Feed more often. As we reach limited organic distribution of content, having engaged users is your best way to keep showing in their feed.

Facebook will continue making changes that will impact nonprofit organizations. Creating a diversified social strategy will help survive these changes. What ideas have you found to increase reach on your Facebook Page?

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