Don't Panic, Facebook is What we Thought it Was

With 2015 right around the corner, I'm sure many of you are determining your digital marketing activities. However, I'm also sure that worries about that pesky, blue algorithm and social as a whole have affected your decisions on what your brand will do on Facebook. Well, fear not brand champions. While changes have occurred (and will continue to do so), I am here to ease your minds a bit.

Why changes occur

As the chart above would suggest, Facebook has been paying attention to user behavior for some time now. Without its users, Facebook would ending up being just another old network with little to no relevance. So, before we call to question Facebook's desire and need to monetize, let us acknowledge user actions that may and more importantly should contribute to necessary change.

Are you worried?

The first update that we will examine took place in late May when Facebook announced they would devalue implicit shares from third-party apps in the News Feed. When this was first announced, Chicken Little was running around, crying that all third-party shares were being punished. Luckily, that was not true. Explicit shares were not being punished. Moreover, explicit shares were being given more weight because it showed user intent. Facebook has a responsibility as the social network with the largest number of users to pay more attention to how the user wants to share than how a brand's app wants to share.

The second update is the latest and the one that has caused the most panic: the one where Facebook stated that they will penalize brands' organic promotional posts. When this announcement was made, I could have sworn that I saw people readying rescue boats and life preservers. But, while the writing has been on the walls for years saying Facebook is a pay-to-play environment, the reasoning behind this decision is, once again based (in-part) on user intent.

Facebook users are not known to log on to Facebook to see a bunch of promotional messages. As a matter of fact, we as social media marketers have preached this for years: Do not sell; Create relationships and Find ways to engage are just a few of the lessons we try to teach our clients when working with them. Take these facts into consideration and you realize that all Facebook is doing is taking its responsibility to pay more attention to its users by telling brands if you want to promote, it's a form of advertising and you have to pay for it. This is not a bad thing for brands. It forces you, as a brand, to create the best content for the platform which is something you should strive to do already.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

In closing, former NFL head coach Dennis Green once ranted said, "They are who we thought they were..." and this statement continues to hold true when it comes to Facebook. Recent algorithmic updates this year notwithstanding, Facebook is still exactly who we thought they were -- a major player that, in spite of its strides towards making as much money as possible (businesses tend to do that), provides a channel made for its users, but available to brands. What works for users and brands has not changed all that much. Just ensure you do what you are supposed to do. Doing what's right will still help you reach your goals. Trust me.

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Gary J. Nix is an entrepreneurial and experienced marketing strategist who has a penchant for learning and has just been named Chief Strategy Officer of bdot. An Integrated Branding Agency. He can also be found on Twitter and here on LinkedIn.