SAN FRANCISCO — In 2015, traffic to Facebook’s top publishers dropped a whopping 32 percent — that number was even greater for the platform’s top publishers such as Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and Fox News that experienced drops ranging from 40 percent to 60 percent. No one has been able to pinpoint the exact cause of those drops, but some point to Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm that began to favor user content in the news feed.
So, what does that mean for you? How can you keep up with Facebook’s changes?
Kelly Stonelake, Facebook Creative Shop’s lead, helps clients tackle this issue every day with creative and engaging posts that capitalize on the highly personal, people-powered nature of Facebook.
“We exist because Facebook is hard. It evolves; it changes,” she said.
According to Stonelake, most clients use Facebook as the channel to share content that already exists, like news stories and blog posts, and place it in the news feed. But, that tactic doesn’t necessarily work for real estate agents who need to grab their audience’s attention on Facebook rather than re-directing them to a website or blog.
“Everything competes with everything,” she said. “It’s important to remember they are seeing your content sandwiched between the content that is most important to them, such as family photos.”
Stonelake said the best content respects the intimacy of the news feed and mirrors the personal nature of Facebook, rather than looking like “advertising.”
How to break through the news feed
Stonelake provided three ways to break through the noise of the news feed, and connect with your an audience:
1. Capture attention and make it relevant.
“People have to choose to stop and look at [your post],” she said. Beautiful, well-crafted and relevant content will always win.
2. It starts in your pocket. You have an amazing device to create content.
Stonelake said the everyday Facebook business user faces creative barriers such as a lack of money, equipment, confidence and knowledge. But she notes that it’s possible to creative professional quality content with a great phone and the right list of apps in your arsenal.
She suggests that every real estate agent downloads Canvas, Facebook Live and Carousel 360 (panoramic pictures) to create innovative content that lives on Facebook. For example, Stonelake said agents can do real-time open houses with Facebook Live and invite their audience to ask questions about the home as they walk through.
Stonelake’s favorite apps.
3. Good creative is personal.
Stonelake notes good creative allows your audience to connect with your posts in a personal way, such as imagining their life in a new home.
Lastly, she suggests creating a concept that can yield lots of relevant content such as a “this to that” series that shows potential buyers what their life would be like if they moved into a new home.
