Facebook has announced that content from family and friends will soon be given priority over published news.

Some Facebook publishers are upset about the company’s new stance and feel it is a slap in the face to partners. They argue these partners have published original content on the platform and helped the company make profits year over year.  

You can already find dozens of stories and how-to articles about how you can adjust your strategy to deal with the algorithmic changes.

So, what’s an insurance professional to do as they plan and execute their social marketing efforts for 2018?

Relax and breathe: These things can take some time. It’s not the first time Facebook has made major changes to what users see in their feed. 2014 saw the beginning of the end of organic reach on the platform and here we all are in 2018—still posting and placing ads. This new Facebook change is something we can adjust for. Relax.

Stick to what makes sense: You already have a social strategy that most likely includes posting regularly to build up a community and get more eyeballs on your content. You are already using quality content like the tons of material that Life Happens produces, right? Keep it up. There’s no reason to change it and abandon the platform. Keep authentically and genuinely interacting with your community on Facebook. Make sure you answer and questions they post and keep active.

Consider future opportunities:  Ways to tweak and adjust your social strategy may become clearer as the platform’s changes start to become more realized. They are already pushing publishers to make Facebook Live video more and more. Think about the ways that you could implement live video into your content plan. (Yes, compliance may be an issue here.) Perhaps testimonials will make more of an impact with the Facebook changes because it uses real people and their real friends.

If you have any questions about social, feel free to contact me here.