Facebook lately has been feeling the hot breath of TikTok gaining on it. In just its six years’ existence, TikTok has already become the world’s sixth-most-used social media platform, and it was the most downloaded app in 2021.
One survey found that last year TikTok’s downloads were 20 percent higher than Facebook’s and 21 percent higher than Instagram’s. The same survey estimated that iPhone users spent 78 percent more time on TikTok than on Facebook.
In addition, while Facebook still has nearly 3 billion monthly users, it has been steadily losing younger users to TikTok.
Playing catch up
That’s why the platform—rechristened Meta last year—is trying to remake itself in the image of TikTok. And that means they’re putting more emphasis on video content, particularly their Reels feature, which they imported from Instagram.
“People have a lot of choices for how they want to spend their time, and apps like TikTok are growing very quickly,” Zuckerberg said during an investor call this year. “That’s why our focus on Reels is so important over the long term.”
Surveys show that Reels help build relationships with an audience, especially millennials and Gen Z, who have been the primary users of TikTok.
Another new focus will prioritize original content over shared video. According to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, the Feed (formerly called “News Feed”) will recommend posts regardless of where they come from, and the main tab will feature a mix of Stories and Reels at the top, followed by recommended posts that come from the newly created “discovery engine” across Facebook and Instagram.
They’re also bringing Messenger back to Facebook in order to compete with TikTok’s messaging capability.
Content is king
“What we’re really finding is that people want to connect over content,” Tom Alison, Meta’s executive in charge of Facebook, told The Verge in June.
“And so a lot of where we’re going with Facebook is trying to bring you the best content that’s going to really cater to your interests, but then making it super easy to share that and discuss and connect with other people in your network over that,” he explained.
Of course, this is a reversal of the 2018 change that evaluated who you interacted with most frequently and pushed those posts to the top of each user’s Feed. Other more recent changes gave users more control over their Feeds, making it more difficult for businesses to connect with them.
There are, however, ways to get around these changes to maximize your Facebook reach. Here are a few of them.
Go for videos
Facebook will now be prioritizing original videos over other content in the Feed, so you should be relying heavily on Reels in your marketing strategy.
That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours creating them, however. Try these easy ways to generate engaging Reels for your fans:
- Provide quick behind-the-scenes looks at your staff or operation.
- Offer educational content or quick tips, such as recipes or how to assemble a product you’re promoting.
- Showcase other influencers or companies in your service area.
- Feature products and promotions.
- Generate buzz around an upcoming giveaway, sales, or a new product release.
And don’t overlook Facebook Live to livestream events connected with your business as a way to create instant video content. Surveys show live videos receive as much as six times as many interactions as static videos.
Know your audience
If you know a lot about who your fans are—their likes, dislikes, interests, ages, and so on—you’ll have a much better chance of creating the “meaningful and informative” content Facebook says it looks for.
Facebook has already done a large part of this work for you, and it’s available to anyone with a Facebook account. Their Audience Insights tool, for example, can reveal such useful demographics as age and gender, financial status, work, and education level.
While the Facebook Analytics tool is no longer available, you can still use Insights to see metrics, trends and visual reports to help you understand the results of your posts.
Another way is to listen to your customers. Whether you get feedback in person at your brick-and-mortar store, or through comments and questions online, if you’re paying attention you’ll quickly learn what matters to them, what piques their interest, or what problems they have that you can help solve.
And by all means, respond in a timely way to any and all questions, or comments from fans. It’s important that your audience feels that you’re listening to them.
Given the fast-moving environment of social media, savvy marketers need the help of someone who can keep them on top of the constant changes. Our social media management experts at 101 Management, can do that for you.
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