Mark Zuckerberg scared the $h*t out of the online marketing world last week and sent a lot of small businesses & entrepreneurs into panic mode. I am going to shed a little light on the new Facebook algorithm and what it means for your business so you can calm down and stop panicking!!

​First, relax. Take a deep breath and repeat "the world is not ending" as many times as you need to believe it!! The reality is that Facebook changes ALL the time - like seriously ALL the time - and we have survived. More importantly we have adapted, grown and changed to stay relevant on social media. Successful businesses on social media are constantly changing, adapting, exploring and failing; but most importantly they are moving FORWARD!! 

The three biggest keys for success with the new algorithm are:
1. Share quality content that engages with your followers in an authentic, genuine way
2. Video - LIVE STREAMING!!!!!!!!!
3. Budget for Advertising

Facebook wants to keep YOU on their platform so they can continue to stay relevant and make more money $$$. In order to do this, Facebook itself has had to change and adapt to what the user wants. Facebook listened and now they are giving the user exactly what they want. Users want their newsfeed to remain THEIRS. They want to see more content they care about and updates from their friends and family. Currently your feed feels spammy and repetitive. The same people, same pages, same groups and lots of ads are consistently clogging up your newsfeed. People are seeing a tonne of content that they simply do not give a shit about and they are over it!! That is why the content and the way in which you engage on your page or group is so important!! 

We need to talk to and converse with our followers. Do not talk at your audience. Do not just share links and videos with the hopes that it will be liked enough to grow your page. These two tactics have not worked for a while. If you look at your insights what do you see? How well does a shared article with a lame caption perform compared to a Facebook Live or an genuine personal status update?? I can tell you the answer without even looking at your stats - its   terrible! You will get way more engagement and reach on a post that actually fosters sharing, caring or community.

Facebook used to reward you for the number of posts and shared content but that is no longer the case. Why? Because people do not care and they don't want to see it!! It's spammy.  I strongly believe in the power of posting good content but that means your content must be relevant, engaging and interesting to YOUR audience. This is not new friends but if you have been sharing just for the sake of posting you need to switch up your strategy. In this online world, believe it or not,  people still continue to crave community and connection so give it to them!!

Next if you want to stay alive on Facebook you need to do Live Video. No more excuses, it must be done!! I will admit that while video itself is good in all Live Streaming is the bomb!! 💣💣💣. Why? It keeps us on Facebook. If you share a video on YouTube that means people may leave Facebook to see it so if you want better reach on Facebook bust out of your comfort zone and do some live streaming!!

To really capitalize on your live streaming follow these three simple steps:
1. Send an email to your mailing list or post a status update letting your followers know that you will be going live.
2. Have a game plan. No, this does not mean try and follow a script but know what you are going to talk about and have an outline to follow.
3. Don't overthink it. Live Streaming works well with your audience because it is real. People want to see and get to know you! Keep It Simple!

Lastly, social media is no longer solely organic. It is a pay-to-play game so if you want to truly have success you need to plan to spend money on advertising. Don't stress too much because a little can go a long way. Especially if you target your audience effectively and use great copy and creative. The effectiveness of your ads depend on choosing the right goal for your ad, targeting for your niche audience and communicating your goal with those people accordingly. Do not be afraid to try a few things when it comes to your ads but do not put all your eggs in one basket - split test your creative/ copy or run an ad to multiple different targeted audiences. Try running the ad for 48 hours and if it isn't getting the results you want stop the ad and try something different!!

Also, make sure that you are taking advantage of conversion pixels, such as the Facebook Pixel, so you can target exactly the right people and use or a warm audience that you know is interested in your product or service. 

So friends, like I said DO NOT PANIC!! If you have been using Facebook the way it's meant to be used when it comes to your Business Page or Group you will be fine. And if you haven't been doing the things mentioned above make some changes, pronto!! The biggest thing I have learned when it comes to social media is to not be rigid, always be willing to try new things and most importantly treat your followers like people!!
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If you are looking for more help with your social media, the changes to the Facebook & Instagram algorithms or your advertising book a Free discovery call with me today!!

Out with the old and in with 2018!! I hope you are ready for it! If not, and you are still planning out your content for 2018 you definitely need to keep reading! 2018 will be all about giving the user what they want when it comes to social media. Keeping the users happy means that we have to grow, adapt and change our strategies - just because something worked last year it doesn't mean that you'll see the same results this year. 
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The types of content that we are seeing for 2018 include:
1. Video (Obviously!). More specifically, Live Streaming is not going anywhere anytime soon. If you are not posting video your organic growth will be slower than a snails pace. Video is being pushed in the Facebook and Instagram algorithm. Now you do not need a professional camera crew to do video. You can simply create on your phone or computer - just ensure good lighting and sound quality. You can edit video by using simple software on your computer or an app. I do strongly encourage your video to be authentic and real. Don't worry about putting together a perfect script simply know what you plan to talk about and write down a simple outline. Do not let overthinking your video quality stop you from doing video. You simply need to start. 

2. Connection. Followers want a more authentic and real experience from their social media. Spend time connecting, engaging and conversing with your followers. When people feel a genuine connection with someone they will be loyal and that is the best kind of audience to have! Make sure that you reply to emails, comments and direct messages in a genuine manner it will make people feel heard and valued. 

3. Paid Growth. Organic reach is still very much a part of the game but social media is definitely a pay-to-play game! You need to factor in advertising dollars into your 2018 marketing budget.If you want to grow your Facebook page solely organically it will be incredibly slow. You need to plan for both paid and organic growth. The upside is that Facebook, Instagram & Google have incredible audience targeting. You can ensure that your advertising dollars are well spent. 

When using paid growth on social media put the same care and effort into your copy and creative as you would your posts. Do not put all your advertising dollars into one basket - try out some different strategies and find what works best for you. 

4. Pick a platform and stick to it. It's really hard to focus today with the increasing number of distractions put directly in front of us. As business owners we are bombarded with all the "things" we need to be doing to be successful and no body has got time for that! I recommend that you figure out what platform your audience is most on and what type/style of content they most want to see and focus your energy there. So many of my clients try and do all the social media, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, ads, webinars, etc that they do not do one thing really well. Unless you have a huge team to support you there is simply not enough time or energy for you to do all those things well. Pick one platform and focus your energy there. Do it well and as you grow, your business grows and your team grows then your social media and marketing can grow too. 

5. Chatbots. Messaging on social media platforms is becoming increasingly popular. Different chatbots like WhatsApp and ManyChats make it possible to "connect" with the user instantly giving a more personal feel. It is also a great way to lead your audience into your funnel. These chatbots are definitely not going anywhere!

​6. Learn to love Live Streaming!! Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Instagram Stories and YouTube Live are making HUGE wave in social media right now and are most definitely favoured in the algorithms. The key to sales and marketing is to create know, love & trust with your audience and video accelerates this by 50%!! Live Streaming does an even better job of creating know, love & trust with your followers. The audience is changing and how they want to receive their content is also changing. 

It's not only Facebook Live that is seeing huge growth from video but also platforms like SnapChat, YouTube and Instagram. Instagram Stories may be one of the biggest trends for 2018. Instagram's Stories has injected new life and huge growth into the platform this past year. In fact, users are more likely to watch their stories than scroll their IG feed. In face, since the launch of Stories the average time spent on Instagram per day has grown to 28 minutes!!!! It isn't only users that are loving Stories but also businesses, currently there is about 1 million business and brands advertising on Instagram Stories because that is where the users are!! It is important for your business to be on Instagram Stories if that is where your audience is.