Another day, another Facebook apocalypse. How has Facebook’s new “Friends & Family” algorithm change affected brands? Is organic reach possible anymore? Do you need to increase your advertising? On February 26th, we gathered a panel of experts to discuss what’s changed and what you can do about it.Our panel included: Elissa Ayadi, VP of Fan Engagement at Warner Brothers Records (@TheMissE on Twitter); Steve Morales, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at Loudley Media (@udontknowsteve); and Bianca McCafferty of FourSigmatic (@FourSigmatic) Facebook Group Shroom Club, along with moderator and SMCLA board member Jeremy Pepper (@jspepper).Attendees were also treated to food and drinks from our sponsors Kite Hill Foods (@kitehillfoods), Neuro Energy (@drinkneuro), Fruit Bliss (@fruit_bliss), and Rise Bar (@risebar).It was a really lively panel with some great tips. Below are some highlights:

• The more good posts you make with high engagement, the higher your next post engagement will be - it’s like a credit score.

• Responding to Comments is still important because it helps the performance of your posts.

• The same is true for groups. Engage with them often and reward “superfans.” Use some of your marketing budget for gifting to fans.

• Rob a bank. (Kidding. Sort of.) Pay to play is alive and well, so you need to keep putting money behind those posts.

• Continuing to understand your audience is still important. Bad content won’t work no matter how much money you put behind it.

• When working with an influencer, it’s all about negotiating and making sure that you can use the content for ads forever.

• Diversify your platforms, because the algorithms will keep changing. Don’t just focus on social. Move people to content you own and get their email so if Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat etc. go away, you can still reach them.

• Word of the night? “Community.” Understand yours and communicate with them often.

Overall, it was a fun night filled with great food, drinks, and info. Plus one lucky attendee won aAvegant Glyph Video Theater Headset courtesy of Goody PR! (It really pays to beat these events in person.) Join us for our March event: “Chatbots: Big Data Tool or Creative Playground?” – the Eventbrite and info will be released soon.