I just attended the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, and met with many pharmaceutical and medical device marketers. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of conversation about social media and growing brand presence on Facebook and Instagram. By far, the most discussed topic was Facebook’s recent algorithm change.
This is a really important development for pharmaceutical marketers. I’ll explain why this matters, and provide guidance on how to adapt your brand’s social media strategies…and hopefully save some budget too!
So, what has changed?
Facebook is retooling the algorithm that determines which content appears in users’ news feeds. The goal is to encourage more meaningful engagement between you and your friends, and within the Groups and business pages you follow. This change, which many of you are likely already noticing, will result in seeing more content from people and brands that are generating meaningful comments, reactions and shares, and less content that does not.
For Facebook advertisers who depend on both paid and organic reach to target audiences, this means content that does not generate much engagement will be more expensive to promote on Facebook than content that is generating engagement. In summary, if you don’t make these simple changes, your money is being wasted.
Now, what can you do about it? Here are 3 things you can do right away:
Most importantly, I strongly recommend that brands work with their social media teams to ensure they are not left behind.
Any questions? Drop me a line at christian@pascalecommunications.com