Facebook wants you to open your wallet

by on October 11, 2012

Facebook Well, it seems that Facebook is at it again. The wheels are definitely churning over there and it’s all about increasing revenues. 2 recent changes you may have noticed…

Facebook offers

One recent change is Facebook offers. This was a  service that Facebook was offering for a time for free during the testing period; it is now a paid service that you can use to promote a special offer.

Running a Facebook offer starts at $5 and is free for a user to claim. You can target the offers, as well as use barcodes or promotional codes to assist you with tracking.

Click here for the lowdown on using offers from Facebook.

Facebook algorithm change

Have you seen any major shifts in reach on your page lately? Well, you are definitely not alone. I manage several Facebook pages for clients, from really small pages to one with over 20,000 fans and it’s the same for all of them. Reach has gone WAY down for no apparent reason. Well, the reason is another change to the Facebook algorithm. Many pages are noticing their reach reduced by up to 40%.

I noticed it most markedly on the really big page. And right around the time I noticed it, yup, I got an email from Facebook informing me that the reach was down and that I should do promoted posts (we talked about those a few weeks back – essentially paying to have your posts show up in news feeds. Scroll to the end of this post for some more info).

The same thing happened around the time that they first brought out promoted posts, I noticed drops in reach, with the most for the really big page, and an email about paying for promoted posts from Facebook. Coincidence? Hmm, I think not.

And apparently now you can even pay to promote your posts on your personal profile.

But from what I’ve heard, promoted posts don’t really do all that well, and bring questionable traffic to your page ie. from countries where you don’t even do business.

So what can you do? Nothing really. Facebook runs the show. Just keep on doing your best and trying to get as much activity and engagement as you can.

Here are some more resources to further help you out:

Facebook’s New Algorithm Change Slashes Fan Page Reach by Up to 40% from New Media Rockstars

Facebook Algorithmic Change to Decrease Reach on Brand Page Posts from social@Ogilvy

5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook EdgeRank from Mashable

I understand that Facebook needs to make money, but somehow the way they are going about it is rubbing me the wrong way. I’m feeling a lack of transparency. How about you feeling about it? Have you used any of their new paid services? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Comments, likes and tweets are always appreciated! Did I mention that I LOVE your feedback?

Image source: David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Sarah October 12, 2012 at 12:20 am

Nice post, Martina. Your last few lines made me smile. There really isn’t anything we can do 😉 Either we oblige to their rules, or we’re out of the game. So just keep a low profile and do our best to keep up engagement. Totally share your opinion about the transparency !
Sarah recently posted..Facebook Fanpage Parties – The Ultimate List

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Martina October 12, 2012 at 8:16 am

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Sarah!

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Heather Stone January 11, 2013 at 7:27 pm

Hi Martina,
I think the real issue with Facebook reach is the question of how you use the social network. I had a discussion not long ago with a member on the BizSugar community about how valuable Facebook really is as a marketing tool these days. Is it more valuable, for example, to look at Facebook primarily as a means for you to share content with your community or for your visitors to share your content with their communities?
Heather Stone recently posted..Why People Hate SEO

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Martina January 14, 2013 at 12:18 pm

It’s definitely frustrating when you’ve spent the energy and effort figuring out what your audience likes on Facebook and to now see that posts that a few months back would have gotten you plenty of interaction don’t even get noticed now. But, it is what it is. It’s a good reminder to not focus on the numbers so much. Just focus on providing value and like you say Heather all the positives that Facebook is bringing you. Thanks so much for your comment!

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