As you may recall, the issue of brands struggling to reach their existing audience on Facebook was highlighted earlier this year through a study by Ogilvy. Facebook has now announced that organic reach for brands will become even more challenging in 2015. The platform stated that posts flagged as promotional content will see reduced reach, with the News Feed prioritizing stories about users’ friends over promotional material.
Facebook defines promotional content as posts that lack genuine value, force users to participate in contests, or simply replicate ad content. Such content will only be visible through paid advertisements, not organic reach.
While this move aims to provide users with a cleaner and more enjoyable experience, it is also expected to positively impact Facebook’s ad revenue. For brands, however, it means shifting their focus to content marketing instead of product promotions to maintain organic engagement with their existing audience.