How Business Pages on Facebook are getting affected with so many changes

Facebook was initially developed for connecting people on a social platform. Long time ago the CEO had said that they will not make it too commercial for businesses and appear like other portals. But that seems like a history now.  I feel Facebook has started monetizing its every branch. Not that I am anti-Fb (I very much like the way it has evolved over the years and built its own nation), but purely from a digital specialist of a brand point of view I have written my observations. Let us look how:

1. Earlier fan count meant that your brand is followed by those many people. So brands thought it was sensible to spend on Stamp ads to raise fan count. //Stamp ads was Monetization #1
2. Now since almost every Tom-Dick-Harry brand has a Facebook page and some good number of followers, Facebook revealed out that your post reaches out to only 16% of your total fans. What should the brands do now? Facebook then came out with three solutions:
• Target your posts – Organic method to reach out to fans by targeting them either by age or location or hobbies.
• Continue Stamp ads – More the fans, more the reach #Monetization #2
• Promote – Have you noticed this word on all the posts these days. It guarantees that your post will reach more people either amongst fans or friends of fans. Monetization #3
3. Suggested Page – One more feature which has been doing rounds is ‘Suggested Page’.  Suddenly a Brand’s page is thrown to me as a suggestion to like it. There has been targeting done by Facebook and I am the Brand’s TG. Brand is paying them to capture the TG. Monetization #4
4. Sponsored Story – My friend has liked the page and that is the reason I am given a suggestion thrown by Facebook to like the page.  Monetization #5
5. App creation will be monetized too. Reason 1 – App developers have taken too many advantages while building brand specific apps which Facebook wants to control now.  Reason 2 – Apps will have to be promoted like posts or page to achieve higher reach. Monetization #6. Reason 3 – Other brands will be free to advertise on Apps on impression basis. And it would be like advertising on Farmville or Criminal Case. Monetization #7.
6. Page Take Over Ads – Whenever I log-out of Facebook, I come across this huge banner ad. It is by a brand and the ad can either land on FB page or outside FB. But it gives lot of impressions/Likes to the brand #Monetization #8

While all these mechanics are pressurizing brands to do more and more FB advertising – to connect with more & ore people – to be social friendly brand – to engage the audience, in a way it is also beneficial for people. They get to participate in different contests, apps and win loads of goodies and have fun! Happy Facebook-ing.