Facebook and Instagram recently changed their content distribution with an adjustment to the way they handle posts on their platforms. Algorithm updates have brands and creators worried about what it means for them.

It was the Facebook update that made international headlines. Announce changes via – what else? – a Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg said he had been told by the community that business, brand and media posts were preventing them from finding the “personal moments” they came to Facebook for. The desire to prioritize “meaningful social interactions” over “relevant content” means we’ll likely see fewer Buzzfeed Tasty tutorial videos on how to make spaghetti in our feed, in favor of more videos of friend’s new baby 192 eating spaghetti.

Is Facebook’s latest move really about putting social experiences back at the center of its business? Some brands and publishers aren’t so sure and are recalculating their budgets for the additional spend that will soon be required to view their content assets. After all, Facebook will still encourage content creators to boost their posts or run an ad, for a fee.

Changes announced to Facebook and others to Instagram have exposed how brands have come to rely on social media for content distribution. These channels provide a convenient and easy-to-use hotline for your audience, allowing them to interact and gauge interest, building a loyal community around what they do and how they do it…

Work harder, pay more to get content views

On both sides of the social divide, these algorithm changes will ultimately affect the content we see in our feeds, and will likely mean brands have to work harder to get their essential content out there to the audience they’re targeting. intended.

In January alone, the reach of posts discussing these changes was 250 million, though the vast majority of posts came from industry insiders and influencers educating or lamenting the updates. Digital entrepreneurs and marketers were the main influencers posting about the changes. There was a mixed response; while some openly criticized it and saw it as the cause of death for the publishing industry, some pointed out that the purpose of sharing content is to create meaningful engagement.

Sandi Krakowski (1.4 million followers) posted that Facebook’s new algorithm doesn’t change anything at all. She said the platform’s emphasis on “building meaningful connections with people” was in fact in sync with marketers’ goals to build relationships with people.

Meanwhile, some brands shared instructions on how to make sure their much-loved content still appeared in users’ feeds, even in long-running institutions, like this one from the soap opera General Hospital.

Publishers are turning their backs on Facebook; Brazil’s largest newspaper announced in early February that it would remove content from the platform, while others are reassessing their position. It is rumored that many will turn to LinkedIn, as the network prioritizes useful content and sharing.

Everything changes on Instagram, too

Instagram users have had a bit more time to get used to things, since the update came in late 2017, but that hasn’t stopped a viral campaign from creators big and small calling for a rethink. Even big-name beauty brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills shared content claiming that the update was hurting the artist community.

Those creators are concerned that two new features will alter the content of users’ feeds: the ability to follow hashtags and a “recommended to you” section to display posts that friends have liked. Both of these changes will add more clutter to Instagram feeds, meaning users have to scroll more to get to organic content.

Social insights become more important in a world of changing algorithms

But are we really that surprised that these changes have arrived? Social media companies are, at the end of the day, businesses that must make a profit. Changing the algorithms is a way of playing around with how audiences interact with content and helps the business by making the user experience easier and therefore more desirable, or by putting pressure on brands to boost posts to get seen. It is a commercial strategy, not a marketing one.

Disruptive changes like these highlight the importance of a strong social media strategy that includes measurement at its core. It’s not enough to just share content for the sake of sharing it, just as it’s not good practice to assume that the strategy you created three years ago will still be relevant today. Even a well-planned, forward-thinking content strategy needs someone to monitor performance, and the best way to monitor social media performance is by examining social insights and researching post engagement.

With algorithm changes having such a large effect on marketing strategies, the ability to monitor and measure fluctuations in engagement levels, reach, and benchmarking before and after the update becomes increasingly important. . Armed with these insights, you can test your strategy, learn from its performance, and modify your approach as needed. Find out how social insights can guide your marketing and communications strategy.