Let’s take a look back at June 2013. Law firm marketers utilized Facebook for organic content aggregation and as a cost-effective way to connect with people who followed their brand. Administrators could spend money on Facebook ads, but it was typically icing on the cake of an already thriving organic presence. Social Media has definitely changed.

In the past few months, Facebook has rolled out a series of updates that crippled business pages’ organic visibility. A page that once received an average reach per post of 1,000 Facebook users now likely sees fewer than 100.

Does this drastic change diminish Facebook’s value as a marketing vehicle for law firms? The verdict is out on that, but there’s no question it has become more like a form of paid media. Facebook still can be a powerful tool, but perhaps not as powerful as it was six months ago. Marketers still can use Facebook to a great advantage by altering their current Social Media strategy and accounting for Facebook ads when constructing their budget.

Facebook “Boosted” Posts

SEOs and online marketers have come to expect Google algorithm changes that alter best practices; this Facebook update is the equivalent for Social Media marketers.

“Boosting” posts—either to people who follow your page or to a specifically targeted audience—is a powerful way to share your content, engage your followers, increase traffic to your website and get more eyes on your brand. This has been true since the inception of boosted posts, but most law firms typically relied on a foundation of organic visibility.

Your law firm will reach far more users via boosted posts than it would organically, even before Facebook’s visibility updates. The downside is that a business page’s organic reach is now a fraction of what it once was, and administrators have to rely solely on post promotions for mass visibility.

The occasional boosted post—likely to an event your law firm is sponsoring or to a new and exciting piece of content—accommodates your other posts’ limited organic reach for improved visibility. Set aside a small budget each month to devote to Facebook ads, and choose posts and ads that offer the most return.

Also, it is important to keep your primary objective in mind when creating Facebook ads, whether it is website traffic, content aggregation, event promotion, downloadable resources or conversions.

Facebook Business Page Improvements

Facebook wants you to buy ads—bottom line. So, what do business pages get in return for decreased organic visibility?

One recent Facebook update provided administrators with an improved ad interface, including enhanced targeting options and a cleaner way to track the progress and efficacy of your ads and boosted posts.

Facebook ads also feature a new campaign structure, which Facebook boasts as “a simpler way to organize and optimize campaigns on Facebook.” The new campaign structure allows administrators to construct ad sets and ads under a specific campaign objective, such as website traffic, Facebook page likes or even conversions.

Ads aimed at driving conversions can now track specific actions, such as when an individual fills out the contact form on your website. This adds tremendous value in proving which efforts result in conversions.

Facebook is also rolling out an updated design for business pages. This will further differentiate business pages from personal profiles, and offer administrators a more consolidated way to manage a page. This design stacks page statistics along the right-hand side of the cover photo, and manager’s tools along the top.

How Are You Beating Facebook’s Visibility Updates?

Facebook can still be a powerful tool, but is it as powerful as it used to be? What are your thoughts on Facebook’s recent business page updates? Is an improved ad interface and updated layout worth losing most organic visibility?