5 Strategies to Overcome “Facebook Zero”

Dustin Comm

Director of Media & Marketing for Good To Go Media.

Facebook’s latest announcement that its algorithm will favor posts from friends and family instead of Pages means your church or organization’s Facebook page posts aren’t going to show up in your fans’ news feeds very much anymore.
 
“I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions,” said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.”
 
While this seems like a benevolent move by Facebook (and it certainly may improve the quality of life for users personally), the plan has always been to reduce the organic reach of Pages’ posts to zero. The term “Facebook Zero” has already been in use for the few couple years as Facebook has been fairly transparent about that trajectory.
 
Here are some articles if you’d like to read more about this progression:
https://social.ogilvy.com/facebook-zero-considering-life-after-the-demise-of-organic-reach/
https://www.peepso.com/facebook-zero-the-decline-of-organic-reach/
https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4075682.html
https://wallaroomedia.com/facebook-newsfeed-algorithm-change-history/

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So what can you do to overcome these changes? Here are some tips in combating the new Facebook.

1. Create “Delightful” Content
Your content should be “thumb-stopping,” meaning users should pause scrolling in their news feed because the it is “delightful.” According to Facebook, this means it should either “make someone laugh, cry, or surprise/provoke them.” Statistically, faces hold our attention longest, but funny memes/quotes, or stunning video footage accomplish this as well.

2. Make It Shareable
The shorter the video, the more likely it is someone will watch until the end and share it. Infographics also are easy to share, so find good stats and create an image using a service like Canva. Stay away from articles as they require someone to click and read something, which means many people won’t take the time to do so.

3. Create Dialogue
Zuckerberg gives us a hint for why this is so important, “The public content you see more will be held to the same standard – it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” This means if your post is receiving a lot of comments and discussion, Facebook’s algorithm will rank your Page’s post higher and it will show up in more News Feeds.

4. Use Facebook Ads 
It’s amazing how far your content can go on just $50. Give your posts some paid momentum that can build into organic performance.

5. Consider Other Platforms
Facebook is king as far as numbers: at the time of this article there are over 2 Billion active monthly users on the platform. But if all those people aren’t seeing your content, maybe you consider supplementing your marketing strategy with other platforms like Instagram or Twitter.
 
Above all, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is don’t get discouraged, and continue experimenting with what works for your organization. Things will always change in the digital evangelism space as technology and platforms ebb and flow. Remembering how powerful these resources can be for our mission is paramount.