Facebook’s 2020 algorithm update: What it means for you
Benjamin Franklin once said there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes. But here at CMA, we think three things are certain: death, taxes and Facebook algorithm changes.
That’s right, the Facebook algorithm has changed … again.
We know it can be hard to keep track of all the changes that Facebook makes, especially when you’re running a business or agency. I mean really, who has the time to dive in and do all the research, right?
That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you and put together a quick roundup of the most important changes to Facebook’s algorithm.
FACEBOOK’S JUNE 2020 ALGORITHM UPDATE
Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know about the latest set of changes:
#1 Prioritising Original News Reporting on Facebook
On 30th June 2020, VP of Global News Partnerships, Campbell Brown and Product Manager, Jon Levin announced that Facebook is updating the way news stories are ranked in News Feed to prioritise original reporting and stories with transparent authorship. These signals are to be based on user research and were built with feedback from news publishers and academic experts. The changes will only apply to news content.
However, Facebook has been keen to point out that News Feed distribution comes down to what individual users want to share and they can’t intervene and make users share the original story. All they can do is boost the original source to help it achieve higher distribution.
#2 Dark mode on the Facebook App… it’s finally happening.
Facebook has confirmed that dark mode is now available to “a small percentage of users globally right now”, meaning that we should see a dark mode roll out in the not too distant future.
It’s crazy to think that this isn’t already standard on the Facebook app, especially when you consider that the Facebook Desktop App, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram already have the feature. Anyway, we’re just happy it’s finally happening and that soon we’ll be able to check Facebook in the cinema without getting popcorn thrown at us.
#3 Allowing the promotion of non-medical face masks
Facebook announced that it’s now allowing advertisers with good standing and at least 4 months of advertising history to run ads for non-medical face masks, including homemade.
This is a partial reversal of the March 2020 temporary ban on all ads and commerce listings for face masks that was put in place “to help protect against scams, misleading medical claims, medical supply shortages, inflated prices and hoarding.”
The change is due to the World Health Organization, health authorities and Governments now advising people to use non-medical masks on transport and enclosed spaces.
#4 Email Marketing Tools
This has all been very hush-hush… but, Facebook has finally confirmed to AdWeek that they have given a select group of small businesses access to new email marketing tools. As it stands the software can only send emails to lists that are uploaded by the sender, so it isn’t really any different to other email marketing software out there. But watch this space, it can only be a matter of time before Facebook will reveal how their enormous amounts of user data can be leveraged by the software.
Happy scrolling
So there you have it. The very latest changes to the Facebook app.
If you need help getting your business to stand out from the crowd on Facebook or any other social platform get in touch.