Facebook messes with photos

Wrong move.  A new study just released by Socialbakers reveals that posting photos on Facebook might be the worst idea for brands trying to get attention. The reason ? Facebook algorithms.

According to Business Insider who reviewed the study : “The Socialbakers data, which covered 4,445 Brand pages and more than 670,000 posts between October 2014 and February 2015, shows that video is now the most effective way to reach users in the newsfeed, driving more than twice as much reach as photo posts.”

Facebook has two reasons to want this : Recognizing the power of photos on social media, brands have used more and more photographs to increase viewers’ interaction, bypassing payments for promoted posts. By declining the results of organic reach, Facebook is hoping to increase enrollment into their advertising options.

Secondly, Zuckenberg seems gearing into a direct confrontation with Google’s Youtube who is fast becoming the number one social media platform, especially for teenagers. Between viewing games, TV shows snippets, music, funny clips, sport, fashion, tips, YouTube is becoming the first destination for young adults seeking hours of free entertainment without the need of sharing anything of their own. Time spent away from Facebook. By making videos more appealing to brands ( and everyone, for that matter), Facebook hopes to convince that audience. to use Facebook as its number one platform .

According to Business Insider : “YouTube’s share of the videos posted to Facebook by content creators has dwindled since May. At the same time, users began directly uploading videos to Facebook at a sharp upward trajectory.” Why ? Because discovery of videos is made easier on Facebook thanks to the auto play, especially on mobile, something very appealing to brands.

Facebook’s gamble is a dangerous one. By degrading the reach of photos, they might alienate a user base that initially got hooked on the platform because of photos in the first place. Successes from Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat clearly reveal that photos are a key generator of social engagement and show no signs of slowing down. While platform like Vine have shown some promising results, it has not overtaken any of the photo platforms.

It is equally dangerous because videos are not the antithesis of photos. In fact, both work extremely well together and , if anything, enhances ones overall experience. They are different mediums that are used to express different emotions. They are also not consumed the same way, video needing access to sound, while photos are more stealthy and can be viewed anywhere, anytime in any environment.

Facebook has Instagram  and maybe part of their strategy is to push photo happy brands to migrate even more  by diminishing returns on its platform.  Regardless, it is a dangerous game Facebook is playing as it might have greater consequences than it expected.

Photo by Andrei!