I didn’t set out to do an issue this week focused on Facebook. It was just that the story of Facebook’s trials in six countries of a new or more rigorous winding down of organic reach has led to a flurry of blog posts, emails, and posts on Facebook (of course!) about the implications for “small publishers” and small business generally of the emerging scenario of shrinking-to-zero financial or even branding return on our organic social media activity.

Serious stuff!

Jill Sherman’s piece offers a more nuanced perspective. She doesn’t sugar-coat the pill, but does offer an interesting, and interestingly articulated, strategic approach as a sensible alternative to throwing the social business baby out with the new algorithmic bathwater.

Facebook moving non-promoted posts out of news feed in trial   Alex Hern

Facebook is testing a major change that would shift non-promoted posts out of its news feed, a move that could be catastrophic for publishers relying on the social network for their audience.

No, Organic Content Isn’t Dead. It Just Has a New Purpose     Jill C. Sherman

You probably heard that Facebook is testing a separate feed where only promoted content appears alongside posts from friends and family. While the test is small (6 countries) and only applies to publishers, I’ve been inundated with “organic is dead” emails, tweets and posts from clients, co-workers and industry thought leaders.

Will Facebook Kill All Future Facebooks? Erin Griffith

Since 2012, Facebook has repeatedly copied or acquired social-media apps that gain traction. There’s the Instagram deal, and more astonishingly, its $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp.

Laser Coaching

Could my laser coaching service help your business, or that of someone you know?

Laser coaching works on the principle that there is a truth in every situation, a truth that may not always be obvious. Laser coaching brings that truth to the surface and supports the process of facing it square on, and then deciding on appropriate action.

Three more juicy Social Business Bites this week. And yes, the first is about Facebook.

At this rate, I might need to rename this newsletter “Facebook Bites”! No, not really. But after a full issue on Facebook stories last week, I’m leading with another. Fact is, if I’d declined to draw to your attention the article, by Mari-Smith-Who-Knows-Everything-About-Facebook, I would have been seriously remiss. It’s that good. And more – packed full of information and strategic guidance. Incidentally, Mari is also one of the nicest people you could meet!

Then there is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its growing impact on social media, especially in the business/marketing context. A short, sharp item from Jay Baer and in terms of what I’ve been learning about AI recently, Jay is as usual on the money. The post includes interesting predictions about the business futures of social media specialists doing quantitative analysis, vis-a-vis the strategists.

Finally, an update on LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator and interesting things LinkedIn is doing with its vast amounts of data to facilitate the sales process.

This Week’s Top 3 Articles

Facebook News Feed Tests: The Impact on Organic Reach, What Marketers Need To Know

Organic reach on Facebook is so 2012. This is unfortunate, but true. Facebook has long been a ‘pay-to-play’ platform for those businesses serious about optimizing all that the platform offers. Organic reach has been steadily declining from well over 100% on some pages (back pre-2012), to an average of 1-6% starting in 2014.

Social Media Powered by AI Is Here

Every digital marketer that’s paying attention is either wary, concerned, or deathly afraid of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

LinkedIn Announces Updates to Sales Navigator App, New Outlook Integration

LinkedIn has announced some new feature updates for their Sales Navigator mobile app, while they’re also rolling out an enhanced integration for Microsoft Outlook, both of which will help streamline the connection process.

Laser Coaching

Could my laser coaching service help your business, or that of someone you know?

Laser coaching works on the principle that there is a truth in every situation, a truth that may not always be obvious. Laser coaching brings that truth to the surface and supports the process of facing it square on, and then deciding on appropriate action.

PS: if you would like to receive Social Business Bites in your email inbox, you can register for that at this link. And remember there is an easy unsubscribe link in every update).

This week we have a very informative and interesting infographic on the 15 most popular social networking sites and apps. See for instance the competition Facebook is getting from YouTube.

Then there is a well-argued case for B2B owners and executives to reconsider any reticence or resistance they might have had about the suitability of Facebook Live for their businesses.

Thirdly, a topic which for some will induce drowsiness or for others annoyance or hostility, but which is important for many of us to keep abreast of, a report on the State of Influencer Marketing.

i’m preoccupied these days with issues – artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, machine learning, etc, – which I’ll be adressing in my keynote, early in December at the International Association of Coaching (IAC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on the topic “Coaching in the Cyber Physical World”, so don’t be surprised if this newsletter reflects some of that in coming weeks.

Top 3 Stories This Week

Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites and Apps

Prit Kallas

We have compiled a list of top 15 most popular social networking worldwide. The findings are based on latest original research which. New social media sites are coming and going but these have stood the test of time. We update this list of social media sites with new data as it becomes available. The data in this list combines global and US social media visitors.

Why B2B Companies Need to Get Started with Facebook Live

Adam Buchanan

When I speak with B2B companies about Facebook Live, they claim it’s only something for B2C companies and celebrities. I disagree. Any brand trying to increase their trust and awareness with their customer can and should go live on video. In this article, I’ll reveal why B2B companies should go live on Facebook and share tips to get started.

The State of Influencer Marketing: What Every Brand Needs to Know [Infographic]

Andrew Hutchinson

As social networks continue to evolve their algorithms, and users increasingly rely on more accessible, immediate word-of-mouth recommendations, a growing number of businesses are turning to influencer marketing to maximize the reach of their messaging.

Laser Coaching

Could my laser coaching service help your business, or that of someone you know?

Laser coaching works on the principle that there is a truth in every situation, a truth that may not always be obvious. Laser coaching brings that truth to the surface and supports the process of facing it square on, and then deciding on appropriate action.

PS: if you would like to receive Social Business Bites in your email inbox, you can register for that at this link. And remember there is an easy unsubscribe link in every update).