Facebook is no longer free

[First Response 2]

Hi all, 

I'm the Digital Marketer at First Response and just wanted to share some industry knowledge with you guys.

Facebook have just updated their algorithm (how they decide which posts get seen) and they've made it extremely hard for any business Page to now show on people's newsfeed. Essentially, to get onto a newsfeed you will now have to pay for it or have incredible engagement.

If you're a Facebook-focused dealer then you will likely need to start thinking strategically.

Facebook want conversations between a dealership and its fans/customers.

I would not be surprised if over the next coming weeks you see your reach dropping significantly on your posts and your engagement coming to a halt (calculate this by adding likes, comments & shares over the week or month then dividing by number of likes).

My best advice for dealers at the moment is to:

• Allow conversations on your page (reviews, posts, comments) and actively respond back to them
• Use video - this naturally has more reach and live videos are even better
• Stop posting the same stuff over and over again, it's about quality not quantity (if applicable)
• Start thinking about what your fans want to see (not what you want to show them)
• Consider putting aside some budget and/or man power for your Facebook

There's a lot to take in there but I am happy to answer any questions!

Jade
Digital Marketer
First Response Finance

[justina3 518]

To be fair people who use Facebook and do not follow the above guides are the ones who complain that Facebook doesnt work for them.

 

[First Response 2]

54 minutes ago, justina3 said:

To be fair people who use Facebook and do not follow the above guides are the ones who complain that Facebook doesnt work for them.

 

You'd be surprised the amount of Facebook Pages out there who don't do the basics (not necessarily dealers), these are the people who are going to be hit the hardest as they've no doubt had some "quick wins" in the past

Jade

Edited January 19, 2018 by First Response

[RH Trading 80]

don't think that applies to boosted ads though does it? we've in the past paid a few pounds to get specific vehicles into targeted feeds - didn't sell any but think these are what dealers generally use Fb for unless its changed since I used them?

[First Response 2]

3 minutes ago, RH Trading said:

don't think that applies to boosted ads though does it? we've in the past paid a few pounds to get specific vehicles into targeted feeds - didn't sell any but think these are what dealers generally use Fb for unless its changed since I used them?

You're right, if you pay then it should stay the same. The change is for the free aspect of Facebook - when you post something and people see it naturally.

Have you tried creating adverts rather than boosting? This has much better targeting options and gives you a lot more features to narrow down who you are targeting.

- Jade

Edited January 19, 2018 by First Response

[Mojo121 229]

Not rocket, this. Just post on the groups or create your own page and get other dealers on board. That way it's free.

[First Response 2]

54 minutes ago, Mojo121 said:

Not rocket, this. Just post on the groups or create your own page and get other dealers on board. That way it's free.

The change will massively affect your reach on groups too, it wouldn't surprise me if they put a halt to sharing to them in future.

Also, I'd be wary about just utilising dealers as they're not the ones who buy your vehicles. You'll need to make sure you're reaching your target audience, too.

It's good to see that you know the basics! It's the people who aren't getting these right initially that end up with low results.