Community managers whose clients are highly active on Facebook are probably struggling with the recent algorithm adjustments that have drastically reduced exposure levels and to a degree, performance results. Initial reports reveal that on average only 6% of your client’s fan base is now being served the content you spent days/weeks producing. This isn’t an ideal situation but given Facebook’s reluctance to shift gears despite large volumes of public backlash, it’s time to roll with the punches.
So how should brands respond to avoid losing traction on the mobile friendly platform that just reported a 72% increase in first-quarter sales? Frankly, brands need to do exactly what Facebook is leading them to do — invest in paid media. Perhaps the shift in investment is part of a natural evolution because brands need to understand that as social media audiences continue to swell, a bigger investment needs to be made to grab targeted consumer attention.
But is paying Facebook to deliver my strongest content to a targeted audience even worth it? The initial reports are yes — by focusing your paid dollars on your highest-performing owned posts, brands can maximize returns, often showing a 5% or higher on click-through rates for a paid spend.
This shift to allocating more dollars to paid media on Facebook is just the beginning. Brands now need to reevaluate whether paid media is the driving force behind their cross-platform, social strategy or is a complement to it. Taylor’s stance is that as consumers are more saturated with content and with brands jockeying for your attention every day, the benefits of targeting through paid media can’t be overstated. Granted content quality and ability to accurately target doesn’t lose its significance, but if attention is now social currency, paid media will provide the most value on the exchange rate.
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