Facebook announced a change in their algorithm on June 29. This is surprising for one reason only. Facebook doesn’t actually announce their changes unless they’re big ones.

You're probably wondering, "How will the Facebook algorithm change affect me?"

Here's what you need to know:

Will the 2016 Facebook algorithm change affect your business page?

Yes, Buzzfeed, NY Times and the like will see a big hit. The big-dog publishers will notice it. But those Facebook pages with few-but-loyal followers, may not see much change. Smaller pages (the overwhelming majority of “publishers” on Facebook) already struggle to be seen due to the 2013 algorithm change that dramatically decreased the number of posts their very own followers were served organically.

How can you make sure people see your Facebook posts in 2016?

The goals for Facebook remain the same. They want to serve posts that are 

• relevant, 
• informative, and 
• entertaining.  

In other words, good content will still be good content. Good posts will still be good posts. Those practices we already encourage our clients to adopt have only become more critical: 

• Keep it real.  
• Be social on social. 
• Use compelling video or images.
• Keep it light and/or keep it incredibly relevant. 
• Encourage shares and comments without begging for them.

Posts that hit these goals will be served more, to more people. Organic reach will still depend on the number of people engaging with any given post: likes, comments, and shares.

What if you have a post that really needs to be seen, and you can’t risk the algorithm pushing it down the feed?

This is where you combine your great content with a little cash money. The biggest concern is that I anticipate a (maybe dramatic) rise in the cost of pushing your content out there. The big publishers will feel the sting of the algorithm change and loss of easy organic reach. They will, out of necessity, turn more to Facebook’s powerful ad platform. 

It will be interesting to see how quickly the ad/boost costs will rise, but the root solution remains the same.

Produce great content.

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