Facebook business pages aren’t what they were a decade ago, but that doesn’t mean they’re dead. During the second half of 2023, I started putting more effort into my business Facebook page. As I researched and experimented, I came across some insight from Nathan Barry (the founder of Convertkit) that aligned with a trend I had noticed on Facebook.
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Facebook’s algorithm downgrades the reach of posts with an external link because they want to keep people on the platform longer so they can serve more ads.
Now, as business owners, we want to use our Facebook page to bring visitors to our websites or to encourage people to sign up for our email newsletter, both of which require taking them off Facebook with a link. What’s a business owner supposed to do?
Nathan recommended posting your content initially without a link. Then he suggested asking people in your network with a sizeable audience to like and comment. Once the post gains some traction, then you can edit it to add the link. The initial momentum should allow the post to continue to be shown by the Facebook algorithm.
Another thing I’ve noticed on Facebook is instead of saying “share and like,” business owners are now saying things like, “You must react if you want to keep seeing my content.” It’s long been known that using words such as "share" and "like" are not friends of the algorithm, so this is a way to encourage people to take action without using problematic words.
In addition, I’ve noticed a related trend with recipe posts. The creator includes an image of a delicious food item and tells readers that the link for the recipe is in the comments. Although I primarily see this with recipe posts, it could also work for a craft tutorial or blog post.
As with all things, who knows how long these workarounds will last? Social media is always changing! That's why it's important to test and experiment.
Have you tried any of these? Did they work? What other tricks have you noticed?
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