What do Facebook's news feed changes mean for your business?
By Lindsay Chelf, Account Manager
In January, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly outlined the social media platform’s marketing plans for 2018, and one decision in particular will have a substantial effect on businesses and associations. In the coming months, Zuckerberg writes, users will see “less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media” in their news feeds. While business pages will still exist and their followers can still opt in to see their posts at the top of their news feeds, this algorithm change will result in lower visibility for companies and organizations that use Facebook as a way to reach their audiences.

However troubling this announcement may be, especially to those who may not have the budget for using Facebook’s paid ads to increase audience reach, here are some best practices to keep your business or association page a successful marketing tool:

Connect with the Community: While this has always been an important goal of posting on social media, it is especially vital now – Facebook’s news feed will now give more visibility to content that demonstrates genuine engagement with followers (i.e., likes, shares and comments). Your posts should foster discussion, so view them as conversation starters rather than announcements to your followers.

Produce Quality Content: To engage with your followers, you first must create content that draws them in. It’s not enough to just post a link to a press release on your website or share an article about an industry trend – content that Zuckerberg considers “passive” in nature. “Too often today,” he states, “watching video, reading news or getting a page update is just a passive experience.” The best content provides valuable information as well as an emotional, human connection.

Avoid Engagement Bait: You may be familiar with “clickbait” – those sensational, misleading headlines that lure you in to read an article (“You’ll never believe what happens next!”). Facebook is cracking down on engagement-baiting by pushing these posts lower in news feeds, and pages that continue to use this tactic may soon see the reach for all of their posts – baiting or otherwise – reduced.

While some social media marketers are bemoaning the changes, look at them as an opportunity to strengthen your online presence with your followers. Find out more by reading my blog .

Whether you need an assessment of your current social media or are looking for assistance in adapting to these changes, the AOE team can help. Reach out today!
Opportunity for free ACI conference registration
Do you have a young professional in your organization whom would benefit from free ACI Convention registration?
Young professionals with less than eight years of concrete or construction-related industry experience are invited to apply for a chance to win FREE REGISTRATION to attend The Concrete Convention & Exposition hosted by the American Concrete Institute, March 25-29, 2018 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. ACI thrives on collaborations with emerging professionals in academia and the industry who possess diverse skills, experience, and perspectives. Although sponsored by the Women of ACI, the contest is open to both men and women and is valued at $633. Membership in ACI is not required. Winners will be required to cover their own travel expenses and asked to attend the Women in ACI Networking event hosted on Monday evening during the convention.
AOE News
Kayler to present at April CSI Conference
AOE President Kimberly Kayler will kick-off the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Great Lakes Region Conference in Indianapolis on April 19. Kayler’s presentation, “Mindful or Mind Full? A Guide to Corporate Mindfulness,” will discuss how today’s business sector with fast-paced and ever-changing challenges often requires decision making in a stressed environment. (More)
During the week of Jan. 22-25, members of the AOE team traveled to World of Concrete in Las Vegas to assist our clients with their marketing efforts. Activities included assisting the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program with their press conference and record-breaking auction which raised more than $1.1 million in gross revenue, CTS Cement with their press conference, attending the Seal/No Seal Industry Roundup and more.
The Slag Cement Association (SCA) held its first industry training seminar at World of Concrete 2018. Almost 40 professionals attended the presentation where they learned about the benefits and applications of slag cement, association resources and award-winning case studies. Attendees also left the session with the first edition of the Slag Cement in Concrete manual, which includes slag cement technical information sheets, case studies, and a slag cement sales office directory. Future association presentations and seminars are posted on the SCA website.  
ASA holds inaugural convention and technology conference
Join us for a unique networking and learning opportunities at our 3-day 20th anniversary event.

 Shotcrete Convention and Shotcrete Technology Conference
Silverado Resort and Spa | Napa, CA
Committee Meetings: March 11-12, 2018
Exhibits: March 11-13, 2018
Shotcrete Technology Conference: March 13, 2018
Annual Outstanding Shotcrete Project Awards Banquet: March 13, 2018
Find out more information on our website .
Personalization is key to customer service
A recent Forbes article noted that personalization continues to be a major driver in the customer experience. At AOE, we couldn’t agree more. As you kick-off your customer experience efforts for 2018, we encourage you to consider the following thoughts from our own Marcela Olson, Manager of Customer Service.

“The bar for what is expected in customer service continues to rise as customers today demand the hyper-personalization of everything,” said Marcela. “Personalization is what happens when an organization leverages a deep understanding of customer preferences, structured and unstructured customer data, conversations in and across all channels. We can anticipate a customers’ needs and wants and tailor the experience.”

If personalization is in fact key, how do you pull it off? Organizations must be able to identify areas of growth and improvements, she said. And, personalization does not mean anti-technology. In fact, technology has made it easier to track customer preferences. The data gathered provides insight into trends and customer expectations. Personalized services create a better customer experience as we can customize the customer experience to fit the individual.

For example, for one AOE client, we customized our membership products to include areas of the industry. Segmentation of the membership allows us to customize communication, provide network opportunities and tailor educational seminars.

Interested in discussing how you can raise the bar in customer service and the customer experience this year? Contact us today! 
What our clients are saying......

"I really appreciate what you have done for us over the last six months. You are all fantastic."

R. Jeffrey Ortman, P.E., HFDP
HAWA Engineers
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