Facebook’s latest announced series of changes means it’s more important than ever for small business owners to create and share their own engaging content rather than relying on content other people have already shared. Pages that rely too much on third-party content will be ‘de-emphasized’, meaning you’ll be reaching fewer people.

The question becomes how much third-party content is ‘too much’? Additionally, it appears that not all third-party content is equally problematic. Facebook’s latest changes appear to be targeted at content that is extremely popular. It’s counterintuitive at best: if too many people like this content, Facebook’s message seems to be, we certainly don’t want you to share it!

Social Media Marketing: Determining the Right Content Mix

Remembering that the goal of social media marketing is to build relationships with your customers as well as to promote your brand’s identity influences the type of content you create and share. Exclusively sharing third-party content isn’t a very successful way to strengthen your company’s relationship with your customers. You need to give them material that lets them know who you are and what you’re about.

To that end, your content mix needs to include a certain percentage of images related to your business. These can be pictures of your products, your staff, your location, even your logo! Ideally, at least half of the content you share via social media should be original; the most recent Facebook changes may shift that target percentage closer to two-thirds.

When sharing third-party content, it’s essential to select it with the new Facebook considerations in mind. If 250,000 people have already shared an image, is it really necessary for your company to do so? There may be content that is equally as compelling yet relatively undiscovered that would serve your marketing purposes as well. This does mean that content identification may take a little longer, but Facebook has consistently proven that their priorities are not necessarily the same as the small business owners!

Do you need help finding, creating and sharing the best possible content on social media? Give us a call. Our social media management service will help you connect effectively with your customers using all the recent best practices.