Why influencers will profit from Facebook changes
Brands will need to work harder to engage consumers on Facebook as algorithm changes promote personal content over news.
Facebook’s latest algorithm update has sparked controversy as it prioritises posts that encourage “conversation and meaningful interactions”.
This means people will be more likely to see blogs, images, and video content from friends, family, and social influencers (that encourage discussion) rather than updates from companies or news outlets.
Facebook’s Head of News Feed, Adam Mosseri, explained:
“We will predict which posts you might want to interact with your friends about and show these posts higher in your feed.”
“These are posts that inspire back-and-forth discussion in the comments and posts that you might want to share and react to—whether that’s a post from a friend seeking advice, a friend asking for recommendations for a trip, or a news article or video prompting lots of discussion.”
These changes have received a lot of scrutiny with Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg acknowledging this change might cause over 2 billion users to spend less time on Facebook.
The social network giant – estimated to be worth $500 billion US – announced and implemented this change in January 2018.
How will Influencers profit?
Influencers are creative and successful storytellers in the digital world. This means their fan base is extremely loyal and likely to engage in conversation.
Brands will be keen to find influencers who can weave their products seamlessly into their narrative. This is the ideal way to get products in front of the niche audience that use them and create stronger brand recognition organically.
Facebook has decided to show audience more content from individual users.
Therefore, un-paid content that resonates with an audience from influencers and other people your friends and family are interacting with will now be the most effective on Facebook.
How can brands use Influencers to cope with this change?
Brands can utilise the tools of social media (data analysis and social media listening) to target their audience and figure out which Influencer speaks to them.
The best way to collaborate with an Influencer’s following is to:
1. Understand your brands objective
2. Identify the factors that influence your target audience
3. Partner with Influencers that can incorporate your product into their narrative
