My Facebook Fan Page Numbers are Dropping! What is going on?

Over the last few days, many consultants have contacted me saying that their Facebook stats have been dropping.  One of the first things most new Direct Sales consultants do is create a Facebook Fan Page to announce to all of their connections that they have started a new business. They update promos, deals, joining their team and keep their community connected.  Well if you have noticed your statistics dropping as far as how many people see your posts about your business. You are correct. Facebook has changed things…again

Facebook announced last Thursday that it would alter the algorithm that decides what users see on their news feed. This change is mainly in an effort to declutter the amount of posts that people see on their mobiles and tablets. The changes are at a time when Facebook is trying to maximize the amount of paid advertising it has on the platform. Of course this is an effort to bump of the share price of their stock but many of us saw this coming.   It is a common thing for Facebook to alter its algorithm regularly, almost weekly, but this is the first time a change has been made to minimize brand page posts seen by those of us that are “liking’ pages.  Facebook commented and said that their changes are not to hurt brand pages and engagement should still be fine.

And so, we have entered into a new time. Basically since 2007, we have all received free advertising and now if we want our pages to show up, we are going to need to pay for it. Over the last few days, it is been quite clear evaluating consultants pages and updating things for them how much their numbers have dropped. While it is pretty clear that Facebook Advertising is going to be the way to get pages to show up more frequently, there ARE some things you can do to help with your page posting strategy.

• Post at the Optimal Time. You really are the only one who knows when your page gets the most engagement and you should really use Facebook’s insights to see what is working. Facebook statistics tell us that user engagement is at its highest between 9 and 10 pm with the age range most engaged being 18-24.
• Video! Photo! Link! or Poll! This is not new news. We all know that posts that include more than just text are seen by more and more often. Brands that are doing a text only at 10 am and then the same thing through out the day are not using Facebook’s new algorithm to their advantage. Posts like this will overlap and really have no visual attraction for people searching for things. They will be skipped right now.
• You’ve Got To Advertise! Plain and simple. If you really want a post to be seen, you are going to have to open the wallet. Sponsored posts and using the sponsored story function to highlight the content will get your information to a wider audience.
• Let’s say it again! Post Photos! Facebook has done the research and statistics show that photos get as much as twenty times more engagement. Hmm, wonder why Pinterest is doing so well. Take photos of everything to do with your business and post it. Posting everything with an image will increase the people who see your posts. Your status wills how up above the image.
• Increase the frequency of posts. But don’t annoy people. Share you. Let people know who you are. I like to say 80% you and 20% business. If you post too much about your business or your achievements or where you are going on your Direct Sales trip. People WILL tune you out. I know it is hard to tone it down thinking that if you don’t post about your business, someone else will but if you build relationships whether you post about your business or not, you will have a loyal client.

We are testing the waters and seeing how things go. As we all know Social Media changes daily. As we see changes and updates and figure out what works best, we will keep you posted.

Have you checked your stats lately? Have you seen a decline? Are you completing the above steps to see how things go? We would love to hear from you.  Check out. www.Facebook.com/jilleysue for more Social Media Updates and Tidbits to keep your Direct Sales business on top of the newest Social Media Changes.