In the January announcement on Facebook algorithm changes, Mark Zuckerberg noted that Facebook would be changing its news feed algorithm to prioritise content from “friends, family and groups.”
“As we roll this out,” Zuckerberg said, “You’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard—it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”
As businesses we should all ask ourselves: what am I doing to make my customers feel like friends? Will my next Facebook post encourage meaningful interactions?
Social media is a bit like a party: you'll recognise the characters. There's a pain in the ass who wants to dominate the conversation with non-stop talk about themselves and what they're doing. There's a hot mess who drinks too much and exposes herself. There's a wallflower who casts a critical eye over the room. There's a few in the kitchen, a few on the dance floor, someone in the bathroom and a bunch of guys out the back.
The point is that selling products and services on social media has always been the boring guy. None of us like him. We try to hide when we see him approaching. We roll our eyes. We switch off.
We're looking for interesting, fun people to have a good time with. People who feel like natural, comfortable friends. These people put a smile on our face, they're interested in what we're up to, they don't take themselves too seriously. We remember them. We might even catch up again after the party. We want to hang out.
Be the interesting person who leaves a great impression. Be charming, be polite, be engaging. Share interesting things and ideas. Have some fun. Be the life of the party. Don't be the boring guy.