You're going to see a lot of posts and videos in your feed today about Facebook's changes.

DON'T PANIC!

This is not the death of Facebook Pages or Facebook for Business, nor does it mean that you absolutely have to have an advertising budget to use Facebook (though you should).

...

What it does mean is that the days of "post and run" to a Facebook Page are officially done. For most of us, if we're honest with ourselves, those days are long gone. 1% or less Reach has been our reality for some time.

Instead, Facebook Pages and business owners that actually work to use their presence for <gasp> social engagement and discussion will still see tremendous value!

If you treat your Facebook fans like friends and family members. If you value their ideas and give them a place to voice their concerns and questions. If you build a COMMUNITY of people who are going down the same journey as you, Facebook will help you to foster that.

If you don't have time to manage that - and I completely understand if you don't - then yes, you can forget about reaching fans organically through normal content shares, and should focus on building ad campaigns or utilizing other platforms.

Facebook Groups may be a viable option for some, but look, building a Group is hard work! That, too, is a community and it requires, again, that you strive to build a place where people can have discussions.

If you already have a Facebook Page and already have a number of followers there, it's not too late to change what you've been doing and start building that up. Don't create a Facebook Group and start from scratch if you don't have to.

And, remember, this is the nature of social networks. They're businesses that have to balance the needs of the consumer user base, and the businesses that pay to reach those consumers. Change and business-restrictions are to be expected.

So don't panic. Try to find the opportunity within every change. For many, this event will result in them completely abandoning Facebook, and for many users, that's a good thing! Normal Facebook users will have improved feeds and better experiences on the platform, which leads to them spending more time here.

That's better for those of us who remain and invest in building community and leveraging powerful advertising.

You've got more questions, I'm sure, so let 'em rip!

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