ID-10075433New updates seem to come out weekly on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Some updates are simply cosmetic and some updates completely change your marketing strategy for that network.

Social Media Today recently wrote “Your Facebook Page’s Organic Reach is About to Plummet.” Organic page reach has been falling since Facebook has focused on building advertising opportunities on the platform. Historically, Facebook organic page reach fell from an average of 12.05% in October, 2013 to 6.15% in February, 2014. With the newest algorithm changes, organic reach is expected to be at only 1 – 2%.

This Facebook strategy means that businesses with pages will need to pay to play. Their free “trial” is over. Facebook will need to be a budgeted promotional line item. It can still be a very effective advertising tool, but at a cost.

For consumers, Facebook will remain free to use. The downfall for people using Facebook is that their newsfeed will be peppered with more advertising.

What can a business do when social networks make these types of changes?

The most important part of a digital marketing strategy for your business is your website. This is property that you own online and can control. Your website should be the central hub of your online presence. Creating a blog and sharing your expertise is also an effective way to utilize your website and introduce prospects to your company.

Facebook is still an extremely effective promotional tool. If your business page has fans, you already have a group of interested prospects and customers. And with Facebook’s detailed demographics, it is still one of the best ways to reach a targeted group of people at a lower cost than tv, radio and the like.

Social media networks can be channels used to broadcast your messaging, but the central hub of your business online needs to be your website.

 

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