The year 2020 was one marked by multiple world-shaking events, many which fell under the shadow of an unprecedented global pandemic. From the very start of the year, our goal on Al Jazeera English’s main Facebook account was to cover those world-changing moments in an informative, digestible and engaging way and to provide an interactive experience for our audience. As always, we kept true to Al Jazeera’s ethos of elevating the human story and uplifting the voices of under-reported communities no matter their geography. We worked tirelessly throughout 2020 providing timely coverage of the news through live updates and breaking down complex stories on the issues that affect us all. Never, as in this momentous year, were we so effective in meeting our objective of engaging our audiences on breaking and ongoing events, and powerfully giving voice to those most affected by the news.
Our content strategy on Facebook was focused on producing unique original content optimised for Facebook and tailored to covering the stories that matter most to our audience. From the start of the year, and throughout the pandemic, we tirelessly focused on creating engaging content and timely coverage of the news in an approachable, easily accessible format. We managed to relate the news and distribute our most timely written journalism in innovative ways to our growing audience base of more than 14.5 million followers.
From leveraging Facebook Stories and optimising original video content, to excelling at creating branded cards that helped spark conversations with our audience, our 2020 strategy has paid off. Our views soared to more than 449 million and our engagements (likes, comments and shares) to 46 million.
In addition to the news, we provided our audience with tips on how to stay grounded in uncertain and how to protect their physical and mental health during the pandemic.
Since the beginning of 2020, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of users following our Facebook account and interacting with our content. We’ve also seen record-breaking traffic from our Facebook account to our website (aljazeera.com).
Users flocked to our Facebook page for the latest on the stories that shaped 2020, and there were many. From the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the COVID-19 pandemic to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests in the US. From the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and Nigerians rising up to #EndSARS. And, as the year progressed, a devastating explosion shook Beirut and the world geared up for the divisive US presidential election that ended with Joe Biden’s historic win.
Here is a snapshot of how we grew on Facebook in 2020:
Facebook will continue to be an integral part of our social strategy over the next year as we build on the successes we have achieved on the platform in 2020. Make sure to follow us so you don’t miss out!
Find out more about our Facebook strategy here: https://ajenglishtwitter.medium.com/al-jazeera-english-on-facebook-in-2020-8939c9d7b2c0
