“We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being,” said Zuckerberg in his online post.
It's been a bit of a rough year for Facebook, however, Mark Zuckerberg was way ahead of it. Noticing that his platform was becoming a tool for spreading hateful speech, bullying and, ultimately, the end of friendships, he began putting a plan in place to return Facebook to its original magic - authentic, positive relationships and meaningful connections and conversation.
The downside is that it also means that most business pages could be completely hidden from followers. Thousands and thousands of small businesses, startups and nonprofits rely on the inexpensive options Facebook offers to grow their business and to reach potential donors. So, how will Zuckerberg's announcement effect marketers, especially SMBs, startups, entrepreneurs and nonprofits?
These social media trends impact not only news media outlets but also publicists.
Read more on my thoughts of the initial news feed transition in this LinkedIn Pulse Post:
Today, Facebook has announced the removal of the Facebook News tab. While this move is consistent with its original commitment to a more positive experience, it can have an impact on news outlets' ability to amplify their stories - some of which may be about your business, product or service.
The positive is that this provides more opportunity for posts from friends, family and pages you follow. Meaning that where once business pages had a hard time cutting through the clutter for engagement, frustrating business owners, now business pages should be getting more exposure.
This creates a new opportunity for businesses to amplify their own news and PR achievements. This year, content creation that can be shared on social media should be a focus for businesses on Facebook, especially when it comes to building a community around your brand.