You may have heard that Facebook announced major changes to their News Feed on January 11. If you have enjoyed using this free social platform to promote your business events and reach fans I’m sorry to say that those days are over.

These changes signal a shift back to Facebook’s roots where users shared meaningful experiences without the influence of advertisers. What is good news for users, is bad news for businesses wanting to reach their audience of fans without doing much paid advertising.

For those that have spent considerable effort to build your social audience on Facebook, there are things you can do to maximize your Facebook News Feed. Here are three good tips to make sure the posts on your business page get seen.

1. Publish really good content. I know, it’s easier said than done, especially for those that trying to think of creative ideas. Let me offer you this. Good content, according to FB’s new algorithms, sparks engagement between people. Getting likes is not enough. Facebook will give more weight to comments and conversation on posts that encourage interaction. Which means these posts will be featured more frequently in the news feed. Consider asking people’s opinion on which frame they prefer. Focus on writing post topics to get people talking.
2. Train your tribe to “See First”. Facebook users have the option for selecting up to 30 business pages they want to see first in their personal news feed. Ask your most loyal fans to check the setting “See First” under the Following tab on your business page. Send a email to your customers with instructions and a big thank you! For a quick video tutorial you can share with your audience, Click Here
3. Boost popular posts. Before you spend a bundle on promoting your posts, test them on your audience first. Try posting a topic that’s interesting and likely to get attention. Wait a bit and watch the engagement. Then boost the post after it’s gotten positive reaction.  Remember, if you’re boring, your paid boots will cost more.

Facebook has been very clear on their objective to improve the user experience and we should all agree that will be best for everyone. One thing the changes will certainly do, is force businesses like ours, to offer improved quality content that is valuable to our audience. We’ll have to pay closer attention to what our customers want and offer more creative and interesting content. That’s good for us all.