Do Facebook Page Followers Still Matter?

There are so many important metrics to track when marketing your business online. Each social platform has its own metrics with some that are more important than others. When it comes to Facebook, how much does your page follower count matter? Should you be worried if that number isn’t increasing? Here’s what you need to know.

Facebook’s Engagement Evolution

About 5 years ago, Facebook was vastly different. The more likes your business page had, the more people would see your content and hopefully engage with it. The more people that engaged with it, the more people beyond that initial group would also be exposed. At that time, people could only see the content of a business page if they followed or liked the page. There was an incentive there.

In 2018, everything changed. Over the last few years, Facebook has made it more challenging to reach people who have connected with your profile. Why? Because they want you to pay to play!  

It’s all about compelling brands to pay for ad space in their target market’s newsfeed. This article from SocialMediaToday explains it well. While likes still matter, they aren’t an indicator of revenue for your business. It’s better to focus your marketing budget on promoted content and paid ads on Facebook rather than campaigns to increase page likes.

Why Aren’t People Seeing My Content?

If someone likes my page, shouldn’t they see my content? The answer is no. In January of 2018, Zuckerberg implemented a Facebook algorithm that would affect exactly that. The change focused on “prioritizing content” based on “user experience.” The newsfeed was no longer based on “who and what you are following.” It was now solely based on user engagement.

This was the article that was launched in 2018 that took everyone in the social media marketing industry by storm as we had to start learning and implementing new and improved ways to target our markets and optimize reach. Zuckerberg was basically saying that only 3-5% of people who have liked a brand’s page would actually see that brand’s posts.

However, people would see posts from brands that they engaged with deeper than simply liking the page.

When this happened, all sorts of content was published (and is still published today) to direct people away from vanity metrics which are things like the number of followers or the number of website page views. Instead, we’re encouraged to track effective and measurable metrics like comments, shares, engagement rates, unique web visitors (not repeat views), bounce rates, time spent on the website, etc.

What Brands Need to Know

Engagement metrics assist us in understanding your impact, your social presence, and your brand’s ability to attract viewership.

People today are not as compelled to like pages in the way that they were before. At SocialEyes, we engage with the content we want to see more of. For example, let’s say you enjoy Amy Porterfield’s content. If this is the case, then you should like and comment on her posts so you can see more of them. Facebook will show you more of the content you’re most likely to engage with.

So, what does all this mean for brands? It means you shouldn’t get hung up on Facebook page followers. Instead, focus on increasing your reach, engagement, and exposure. Other than making you look popular, page followers have no fundamental bearing on who sees what. The key takeaway for your marketing to succeed on Facebook is that you need to pay to play.

SocialEyes Communications is committed to helping our clients stay ahead of the digital marketing curve. If you’re ready to maximize your brand’s reach and engagement on Facebook, contact us today.