Facebook Withdraws 3rd Party Access For Groups
On the 23rd January, Meta announced it was removing 3rd party access for Facebook Groups. The change will come into effect on the 22nd April.
So, here’s what you need to know about the change.
Facebook Groups Changes
Facebook Groups have been the backbone for many businesses.
Creators have used Groups to grow a targeted audience for their niche. It is a great way to engage and nuture a group and generate sales.
When I started my business I used both Public and Private Facebook Groups.
Public groups were to attract people interested in my niche.
The private groups were for paid members and allowed them access to content that was not being made available elsewhere.
This later evolved to Zoom calls and Membership sites where I still had interactive sessions with clients but without the need for Facebook.
The new changes to Facebook will inevitably cause many people to rethink how they present and deliver their content to their audience.
So, are you ready for the change?
Key Takeaways
- Adaption in Content Delivery
- Content Customization to Avoid Plagiarism
- Scheduling Content
- Industry Wide Changes
- Alternative Content Delivery Channels
Avoiding Plagiarism
Many apps promote scheduling your content and they ensure the content is delivered to your social media groups or platforms.
The withdrawal of access to Facebook Groups will have a negative effect on some businesses but offer benefits to others.
Personalizing content for each platform is essential these days to avoid plagiarism. Even if the content is your own, you will be penalised by search engines for publishing the same content to different social media or websites.
Plagiarism is when there is identical content on various platforms including social media and websites.
It is something that Google (the largest search engine) dislikes and will do its utmost to discourage by moving your content lower down the rankings. Lower rankings will mean less traffic and less sales.
Customizing content to each outlet improves the ranking of websites, social media and your personal ranking with Google. Yes, you have a personal ranking so they can identify your Authority and trustworthiness. This is part of their criteria for ensuring good content.
The removal of 3rd party access on Facebook Groups can be beneficial for speeding up your adaption towards more customization of content and improving your overall rankings.
Scheduling Content
Each social media platform and website has the facility to be able to schedule content.
If you are unsure of the process watch this video which takes you through the steps for scheduling posts on the main social media platforms and WordPress websites.
The process is often easier than most people realize with many platforms having the schedule button right next to the publish now button.
Getting into the habit of creating content in advance each week increases time management and will increase sales.
Facebook May Be The First But Not The Last
Often we see Facebook (Meta) introduce changes that are then adopted by other Social Media Platforms.
With changes to EU online regulations more Social Media platforms will be taking precautions to protect users and comply with the new regs.
Making changes now to how you interact online will save work in the future.
Over the past year, I found Facebook removing content from my coaching groups but also restricting the deliverability of other content such as videos.
In addition, I noticed that posts showing on my timeline from family and friends tend to be 2 or 3 days old before I get to see them. The same was happening on the business side.
As a result, I decided to move content away from Facebook and other Social Media Platforms and put the emphasis on building alternative ways to deliver content to clients.
I now have more content being delivered through YouTube with a new channel added recently. Membership groups have been created for the delivery of content through Karen Newton International. There are also more websites where the content has been niched.
And while you will see the occasional content posted through Social Media, I’m growing my business through content creation on the websites and online course delivery through memberships.
Facebook may be the first to introduce the ban on third-party access but they are unlikely to be the last. Being prepared for the changes put me one step ahead in growing my business.
Facebook Withdraws Third-Party Access to Groups
As Facebook prepares to remove 3rd party access to Facebook groups having an alternative strategy in place will be essential for continuing to grow your business and deliver the content to customers. Meta Business Suite is one way of ensuring continued delivery of content via scheduling but preparing other ways of delivering content in the long run will be essential for the survival of your business.
For more information about creating online businesses and social media marketing visit Karen Newton International
