Yes, it’s that time again; Facebook has added some (subtle) changes to how we engage. Surprise, surprise!
They are subtle because they are gradually trying to change our behaviour when we use Facebook. Think Pavlov’s dogs, and you’re onto a winner; it’s a reward and punishment scheme that is rolling out.
Pavlov’s dogs would LOVE Facebook
Facebook loves live
Have you noticed how you’ve been seeing and hearing about a lot more live content on Facebook lately? Essentially, Facebook want you to spend every waking (and maybe not waking too) minute on Facebook. We can’t really blame them- that’s every business’ dream, isn’t it? Except, Facebook are actually trying to make it happen.
Live video and broadcasts are great fun; personalities can really shine, people can fluff up their lines and the potential for the whole thing to fall apart are just some of the gems why people tune in.
Facebook has conned onto this, which is why they have placed live content as a priority on your news feed- whether you share the fascination of live content or not.
For example, say you tune into a live video after work at 6pm. The video lasts 3 minutes. As soon as it hits 6:04pm, that same video, which is now pre-recorded, will not necessarily feature at the top of your news feed. Even though, you literally just watched it and you obviously have an interest in it.
Yeah, we know, weird.
And for Businesses, this means…?
Back in 2015, Facebook kind of went a bit OTT with the messaging system for pages. If you responded quickly to any messages your page received, you were rewarded swiftly with special badges. You were even offered the opportunity to share with the world at how quick you were with responding.
Now, Facebook want to take that fast-paced action to the world of live posting.
Keep it fresh, keep it live
Battling the live?
There are ways you can get around this, hear us out.
As not many people out there have the time to sit on Facebook and repeatedly click ‘refresh’ every five minutes, we’ve got some tips for you.
- Bulk up your non-live content. Queue your text posts and images like there is no tomorrow; it will save more time than you can imagine!
- Share the same thing more than once. We know that Facebook users scroll down their feed at Usain Bolt’s running speed, and with a repeated post comes a new opportunity to get your content out there. One quick thing- text posts under 50 characters get way more hits. Be snappy with those posts!
However…
There are no two ways about it; you are going to have to buckle up onto the live-train if you want to keep up with what Facebook is doing- and what your customers are doing too!
We suggest you take some TLC to your live posts, and with your non-live posts, make sure they are up to an impeccable standard.
If that is a challenge that you just do not have time for in your busy schedule, there are agencies like Shake Social that does the hard work for you. It’s an option that works wonders (honest!), so keep it in mind.
Facebook makes changes a lot, it’s just a fact, so instead of fighting it, learn to embrace it. The new live-posting is here to stay.
By Katie Smith
A Shake Social Intern
Kate Tyler is the founder of Shake Social and our long time social media expert. A regular speaker at events, Kate offers consultancy and training on a range of digital marketing topics, in particular safeguarding and using social media in an educational setting.