Facebook To Reduce Promotional Page Posts In 2015

17-11-2014Tags: Social

Over the past few months, Facebook has been asking users how they feel about the content on their News Feeds. Based on the feedback, Facebook is aiming to filter and exclude overly-promotional content from January 2015.

Having asked users what could be done to improve their Facebook experience, the social network has announced further steps to reduce the number of 'spammy' or promotional Page posts that appear. In a company statement, Facebook argued that the "News Feed is already a competitive place - as more people and Pages are posting content, competition to appear in the News Feed has increased." The aim is to increase the relevance and quality of what appears on the News Feed, without increasing the frequency of adverts.

According to feedback they received from users, Facebook uncovered three characteristics of promotional Page posts:

• Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app
• Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context
• Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads

From January 2015, users will see fewer promotional Page posts appear on the News Feed as Facebook will be implementing new filters to their algorithm. Facebook will be adopting the same analysis and control used for Facebook Ads, meaning they will be able to judge the quality of the promotional Page posts, including engagement and whether users choose to hide the content.

Click-baiting

The announcement to reduce the frequency of promotional Page posts comes a few days after Facebook outlined measures to crack down on click-bait. According to Facebook, click-baiting is when a publisher posts a link with a headline that encourages people to click to see more, without telling them much information about what they will see. These posts often get many clicks, meaning they are shown more frequently to more people.

What does this mean for my business?

Providing that content on your Page is high quality and relevant, you have nothing to worry about. This announcement from Facebook reinforces the importance of a content marketing plan, as well as being responsive to significant events.

Whether for our clients or ourselves, we aim to provide content that has been generated for the target audience and their needs. By providing content that is focused on the target audience rather than purely self-promotion, engagement in the content and trust of your business Page, will increase.