The end of Newsfeed as we know it

Huge news from the world of digital advertising: Facebook has pretty much announced the end of advertising in the Newsfeed. Facebook is launching a major change to its algorithm, the end result of which will be that you will see more posts from your friends and family, more photos and videos, and a lot fewer ads in your feed.

I can hear your questions already: what impact will this have on your business, your clients or even just your experience on the platform?

Well, that’s what I’m here to explain.

Here’s an overview of the impact this change could have on the Facebook you know and love.

1 – The disappearance of organic posts from businesses from the Newsfeed

It was already tough to get organic reach, but the new change means that it will now be nearly impossible to reach users without allocating media budget.

Large companies tend to already have substantial media budgets for Facebook, so the change will impact them less. However, SMEs will likely feel the change in a big way, because their advertising budgets are smaller.

Community managers and the people in charge of communicating on Facebook for their companies will have to put a variety of strategies into play to make sure they’re able to continue the conversation with their customers. Among other things, engaging content will be essential to success, because Facebook rewards posts that generate more likes, comments, shares and clicks by giving them greater reach and charging a lower cost per thousand.

2 – An increase of the average cost to advertise in the Newsfeed

Impressions are a scarce commodity thanks to this algorithm change, which means that competition for every impression is going to increase.

Unfortunately, cost per click will rise, cost per video view will go up and cost per lead will be higher as well. It’s inevitable, unfortunately. However, this is also an opportunity to take a close look at how we approach the platform, and ask questions about the relevancy of the campaigns we’re running.

3 – Hyper-segmented targeting will be less effective and efficient

Since there will be fewer impressions available, smaller audiences will be highly solicited. It’s entirely possible that an audience of 3,000 users, which would have generated solid results even a month ago, will now be inefficient, even entirely ineffective.

Of course, it’s still possible to use micro-audiences. However, you need to adjust your expectations accordingly. Campaign managers will need to be particularly present on the platform over the next few weeks.

As you can see, Facebook’s algorithm change will affect companies in a major way. In fact, the change can already be felt. It’s both harder and more expensive to appear in the Newsfeed.

In spite of everything, the news isn’t all bad. Fewer ads also means that users might be more attentive and receptive to the ads they do see.

This is also a chance to revisit your Facebook strategies. Content will need to be better adapted to users, feel less like an ad and be able to generate engagement. This is the moment to make sure your Facebook business page meets your users’ needs.The challenge will not only be to reach users, but also to keep them interested enough that they come back on their own!