I’m still feeling reverberations from the Facebook “Reachpocalypse.”

Does your business have a Facebook fan page? If so, you may have heard the discouraging news that Facebook has decreased its organic reach.

What this means is that whenever you post an update, only a fraction of your fans will see it in their newsfeed. In fact, the reach of your fan page has just dropped to 1% – 2% of your total fans. So if you have 1000 followers, only 10 – 20 of them will see your update advertising a special or promotion.

Social Media Today gives a brief history of how much Facebook has changed over the past seven years (“Facebook Organic Reach Plummeting”). What has frustrated many businesses is that Facebook pitched their ads as a way to build a loyal following and attract new fans. Many businesses forked out hundreds and thousands of dollars to get other members to “like” their page.

Now Facebook is telling those same businesses that they need to pay to make sure their updates are seen by most of their fans.

Predictably, businesses are not responding well. They’re aggravated and now looking at their options. Robert Rose, Chief Strategist at Content Marketing Institute, had a robust discussion with Jay Baer, marketing consultant, author and speaker, about what clients can do with this new development.

Robert’s conclusion? Facebook is no longer a place of community but now is a content publisher (For Brands, Facebook Is Now A Content Publisher, Not A Community).

I agree with Robert Rose. Ask yourself if Facebook can help you build an audience you can reach without breaking the bank.

If you still want to test Facebook advertising, I’d highly recommend NOT having the ad link to your Facebook fan page. Forget about corralling your fans on Facebook because there’s a good chance you won’t reach most of them in the future with your updates, anyway.

Instead, create an ad that directs the person to a landing page on your website that offers a free download (or free webinar, tip sheet, mp3, etc.) in exchange for their email address. Then start building your own fan base on your own website with email marketing.

I think Facebook has made a big mistake with this move. I’m hearing about more businesses abandoning their fan pages and this recent development isn’t helping. Time to pivot your marketing efforts.

Using ads that direct a targeted audience back to your owned content (your website) to get that audience onto an owned list is the best solution if you’re going to advertise on Facebook (Non-profits: Avoid Digital Sharecropping Before It’s Too Late).

You’ll then have a list you can directly market to without fussing around with “likes” and what will only be an increasingly congested News Feed and ad sidebar.

I don’t know about you, but trying to interact with Facebook is now like riding a mechanical bronco bull. Type your update fast before the screen auto-refreshes! A bumpy ride, for sure.

Other sources:

Forbes Magazine: “Facebook Pages Are a Bad Investment for Small Businesses”

Wall Street Journal: “GM Says Facebook Ads Don’t Pay Off”

Mashable: “Why Are Retailers Shutting Their Facebook Stores?”