At HMA, we refer to social media as real-time media, because users are being reached through hundreds of messages from dozens of channels in real-time. From a personal standpoint, real-time media channels serve us in many different ways – we rely on them for a means of entertainment, for staying in the loop with friends, for career opportunities, for news, and for connecting with customers. As consumers, many of us catch ourselves clicking ads on Facebook for clothing, heading to Pinterest to find recipes, which in turn – causes us to buy products – or visiting YouTube to check out commercials for the latest technology. Regardless of our reason for logging onto these channels, we are usually looking for something: a product, a solution, or a form of entertainment.
Real-time media in the business-to-business realm is often looked at differently. For example, many times potential customers are not ready to buy when they are exposed to real-time media content. In other words, they don’t necessarily turn to real-time media channels for an answer or a specific product. They may only be looking for the latest industry news or trends. This is why it is so imperative to post relevant content on a consistent basis.
Facebook in particular is typically thought of as a social networking website that helps users stay connected to family and friends – not necessarily an opportunity for brands to reach prospective customers. However, Facebook recently changed its algorithm, resulting in greater brand exposure. When one Facebook Page tags another Page, the posted content can show up in the News Feeds for followers of both Facebook Pages. In turn, exposure can be increased.
For example, if a Facebook Page has 100 followers and posts content, only those 100 followers will see the content in their Facebook News Feed. However, if a Facebook Page that has 100 followers tags a Facebook Page with 15,000 followers, its message has a possibility of appearing in 15,000 News Feeds. The algorithm will take user engagement into account to determine if the content of both Facebook Pages is relevant to users. This update presents the B2B world with great opportunity.
More than ever, it is important to maintain real-time media channels with consistent posting and content that is relevant to customers. Coincidentally, link building is critical to increasing website authority and is being proven as vital on Facebook as well.
You can read more about the Facebook algorithm update here. What do you think of the recent change?
