- Microblogs
- H2H Social Posting
Having heard chatter of an upcoming Facebook algorithm change through industry forums and online publications, our team at Marketing Essentials already had been researching to fully understand what the change would mean, how it would affect our client’s Facebook channels and strategies we could put in place. It was even the hot topic for our digital channel specialists who attended Social Media Marketing World in California.
Our solution for Kendal at Oberlin involved a new concept in blogging and social posting that would maintain their status as a thought leader, while still engaging their current audience.
- Microblogs. We recommended Kendal at Oberlin begin posting microblogs, or mini blogs, on Facebook instead of using Facebook to promote the blog article on the Kendal website (essentially, not adding an external link that drives people to your website as Facebook wants to keep its audience on its channel). Tactically, this meant their author simply needed to condense the blog article into a microblog to be posted in full on Facebook. These microblogs could have an image or video or just the content itself. We recommended they begin doing this on LinkedIn as well. While this would lower traffic from social to their website, it would maintain their presence as a thought leader and even grow reach and engagement on their social channels.
- H2H or ‘Human-to-Human’ Posts. To maintain current audience engagement and capture more meaningful conversations, we recommended Kendal at Oberlin ‘start the conversation’ with more engaging pictures and videos. They have a vibrant and active community where residents are always engaging in events and social activities. These kinds of images and videos naturally create likes, loves and comments on Facebook.
Going into these new posts, it took some trial and error. We tried the microblogs with and without images/videos to see which would perform better, and we added a few external links here and there to drive traffic back to their website. We watched the metrics and adjusted the strategy as needed.
From the moment Facebook announced it would implement new algorithm changes, we saw dips in post engagement numbers. Kendal on Oberlin’s average reach for posts promoting a blog article on its website was around 190 with some likes and a few comments or shares.
The first set of microblogs posted more than doubled those numbers. One posted about an event held at Kendal at Oberlin tied together the human-to-human element with the brand’s reputation for being a leader.
The results:
People Reached: 575
16 likes | 1 Love | 4 shares
43 post clicks
Another microblog on the importance of intergenerational programming for seniors also did exceptionally well. It was educational and included a photo of two of the organization’s summer interns.
The results:
People Reached: 426
16 likes | 3 Love | 2 shares
75 post clicks
Big Picture Results
On average in the first half of 2018, Facebook engagements for the week are 1,000 or more. Whereas in 2017, the average engagement was 550 per week. Also, comparing to last year’s posts, there are more comments and shares on microblog posts compared to posts with an external link. In turn, with the higher post engagement, high number of people reached and more page likes, there is a higher chance — and proof — that Kendal at Oberlin is showing up in news feeds as it conformed to the Facebook algorithm change.
