Facebook’s latest changes to users’ News Feeds means it is more important than ever to create interesting, relevant content that your brand’s fans will want to share with their friends. Let’s add a layer to that share-friendly content strategy: News Outlets. Here’s an example using The Des Moines Register, a news outlet that will be in the global spotlight again due to the upcoming caucuses. A brand or small business may get its story told (placed) not only in the Des Moines Register print version and website, but also via a post on the Register’s Facebook page. And now, most importantly, in the Facebook News Feed of the Des Moines Register’s Facebook Fans who may then also share it! We used to think it was great to get a story placed on a newspaper’s website because the story could be found via search. Getting shared is better. A few recent observations:
- All media outlets, especially those from smaller markets are posting less hard news content and more human interest, lifestyle, and fun stuff on their Facebook pages for the same reason we do for our clients: it gets noticed and shared.
- Facebook’s algorithm favors what it deems to be news outlets even if they are just sharing that fun stuff and not hard news.
- The most shared content on all of Facebook last month came from The Huffington Post. You can argue if this is a credible news site, a biased blog, a tabloid, or all of the above. But Facebook’s favoring has made it a golden opportunity.
Calling all PR professionals – your services are needed! As more brands jump into content marketing, reaching traditional media outlets that have a great social following needs to be part of the content marketing strategy.
Social Geek Blog 