Facebook’s newsfeed change is the kick in the arse brands need, whether they like it or not
The latest Facebook algorithm changes will finally put an end to the ‘crap trap’ that has plagued content marketing for far too long, argues The Content Division’s Kurt Sanders.
“Hey brand and/or company! Here’s free TV and newspaper ad space for the entire duration that your business exists!” said no media company ever.
Or if they did say it they probably didn’t exist for long.
The Zuck last week announced Facebook’s intentions to massively prioritise friends, family and group content in their newsfeed, relegating brands and media companies to the dregs (if that) of organic reach and engagement.
Zuckerberg has confirmed the stupidity of news media execs who went digital first withno plan. Totally we’d to valueless traffic they now face being cut off with products of no value to readers. Folly that delivered maseratis that we all will pay for in the loss of reliable news sources.
The premise of the story completely disregards long term publishers. Facebook has done very nicely out of the content they’ve provided and the eyeballs they generate while selling advertising in direct competition with them. It has been anything but a one-way street. However the idea of Facebook eventually turning on them was predictable.
Roger Moore: My apologies. I’m sure you simply give it away.
Mr Big: Excellent, Mr Bond. That’s precisely what I intend to do. Two tons of it, to be exact. When entering into a fiercely competitive field, one finds it advisable to give away free samples. Man or woman, black or white. I don’t discriminate.
Roger Moore: Two tons of heroin with a street value well over a billion dollars nationally distributed free? That should make a certain group of families rather angry, wouldn’t you say?
Mr Big: Angry? Why, my dear Mr Bond, it’ll positively drive them out of their minds.
Roger Moore: – And subsequently out of the business. – Quite ingenious. A sort of junkies’ welfare system.
Mr Big: Merely until the number of addicts in the country has doubled, shall we say? Then I will market that acreage you blundered into the other day. That heroin will be very expensive indeed, leaving myself and the phone company the only two going monopolies in this nation for years to come.
I don’t think most Australian publishers will be surprised that these changes have finally been announced.
If “friends” are what how info is going to be shared, then I guess we can expect fake troll accounts to become even more prominent.
Although, I do agree to a certain extent, just give this a read too:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/technology/facebook-news-feed-changes.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1