Facebook changes : which levers activate to gain visibility ?
You must have heard of the last changes on Facebook : an algorithm that have a direct effect on page’s reach and a brand new design for its page. How do brands should adapt to these changes? How to keep beeing visible on this network? What are the other options?
A new design for Facebook’s pages
To be prepared to all the changes before there arrive, there are the principal new elements. First of all, we can’t help but notice that Facebook’s pages will look a lot like personal profiles.
- A new Timeline
- Informations about your company will be placed on the left
- A simplified menu on the top of the page
Your page’s posts will appear in a single column on the right side of the page. Their size will be lightly larger than before to offer more visibility to post with photos or video.
You will find in the left column all the informations about your company: map, schedule, site url, apps, pictures and videos.
Application’s thumbails have slipped into the left column. To reach them from the menu on the top of the page you will have to click on the « More » tab.
- Admin’s modifications
- A better visibility for the Like button
You will have access to your statistics on the right side of your page: likes, reach, notifications and ads. New navigation options were addded to the top of the page for the admin. Switch easily between insights, settings, timeline.
Good news ! You will also have access to Pages to watch. This option that was only available for some pages, will now be opened to every pages. It will allow you to keep an eye on your competitor’s page and to compare performances : number of Like and page’s reach. You could even see what was the most engaging post of your competitors during the past week by going in the « Posts » tab. It will sure give you ideas to improve the performance of your page.
A note will appear to the user who has not liked the page if he scrolls down. It brings more visibility to this button.
Facebook, drivers for your visibility
Pages’ organic reach seems to be collapsing and, according to Ogilvy study on 100 pages and 48 millions of fans, it will soon reach the Facebook Zero. A study shows that the reach has fallen from 12.05% in October 2013 to 6.15% in February 2014.
Despite the reach decrease, Facebook is still the leader of social networks. With 1.19 billions of users (sept. 2013) who are also potential prospects, it is still a front-line network for brands.
So the reach is a potential driver to display your content on Facebook, but it has to be completed by paid media to optimise your communication results. You could adjust your ads depending on your goals. Think about targeting precisely your audience on Facebook. You have the possibility to target your website visitors or to upload a list of people to target from your own database. Here are some advices :
Click directly on the Boost post button below your post to make the promotion of contents that are more likely to interest users that are already fans of your page.
Choose interests to reduce the reach of your ad only to people who share interests linked to your products or brand. A tip : on Twitter , some accounts have access to their followers stats. If you are part of these accounts go on ads.twitter.com. Click on the Statistics/ Followers tab. All you have to do now is to fill in the Interests box with these Twitter’s interests.
Choose to extend your target to people who aren’t connected to your page. This option associated to the interest targeting will enable you to reach people who are not fans of your page but who are more likely to care about your products.
The plus : use custom audience. Use an existing database or program your site retargeting in the Power Editor of Facebook. In order to do this follow these simple steps: open the drop down menu Ad tools on the top right of the page and select Audiences. You will just have to create a custom audience. You could for example upload directly your customers database. If the email address matches with the emails that are on Facebook, you could then reach this ultra qualified audience in your future ad campaigns. It is a great way to retain your customers !
What about the visibility of Facebook contests ?
With these changes, marketers are affraid to loose visibility, particularly regarding their apps and contests. As a matter of facts, applications thumbnails formerly located on the top of the page have now been replaced by a basic menu. These thumbnails have not been deleted, there are now on the left column. Users can still see and use them.
Concerning the contest, the new version of fanpage won’t have a big impact on its visibility. As 90% of entrants came from link posted on the Timeline. If you want to guarantee a great visibility to your game, you have to outline these posts. Buying Facebook Ads is today the most efficient way to acquire this visibility.
Your page cover is a good way too to promote your content or your app. Don’t hesitate to customize it with your contest theme.
Facebook contest are more important than ever
Facebook games are used to animate your community and/or raise your fans engagement. But today the real goal of these contests is to transform the fans (throught advertising for exemple) into actual leads who you can reach after this operation without the help of Facebook : emailing, targeted ads on other platform, etc. So you can be free and manage as you wish your marketing and communication costs.
It is more interesting to consider contests today as a tool to collect smart data. The game becomes part of a global strategy of recruitment.
At Kontest, we think that the success of a promotional app is build on three rules: we call it the Triangle of Success.
For optimal performance, you have to gather an attractive prize that is related to your products, a tool that enables you to collect datas and media investment.
If your game is installed on your Facebook page, buying Facebook ads will give more visibility to your contest and so, the number of entrants that will become your future database will also grow.
To promote your contest, I recommend you to choose between « clic to a site » – that will outline the game url – and the goal « Page Post Engagement » that will highlight a post that make the promotion of your game.
Alternatives to Facebook
Facebook is becoming the new Google : a platform that gather a very large number of users and brands, where the organic visibility is still possible but very competitive and where advertising is going to be necessary to emerge and be rapidly visible. Nowadays, some users don’t hesitate to go directly on brands site to find interesting informations. Hosting your game on your site thanks to a multi-channel solution will make you drive directly some traffic on it and collect really qualified leads.
Facebook is not the only network that you can choose, it depends on your target. Do not hesitate to go on Youtube, Instagram or even Twitter to display your contest and then collect informations regarding your potentials prospects all over the web. The advantage of those last two networks is that you can reach a mobile target. It is somehow important, as you install your game, to follow the rules conditions of these plateforms. When you create your game, keep in mind that the point of making this operation is to collect datas that will serve you to create targeted campaign. Only the use of a dedicated app will let you collect qualified datas.
In a nutshell
It will become unavoidable to invest on Facebook to reach your own fans and the other users. Ad targeting is really at stake here. Promotional games, on Facebook or in other networks, will become a favoured tool of collecting datas that will give you what it needs to flout the constraints imposed by these platforms. This datas will help you target more precisely during your future communication campaigns and manage your marketing and its costs. A virtuous circle that will let you optimise your visibility on a qualified target and to have an effect on your ROI by talking directly to interested people that are also potential buyers.