Facebook announced an important update to its Newsfeed algorithm in January 2018. The update aims to make Facebook more social and meaningful to its users as it prioritizes posts from friends and family over posts from brands and business pages. This is a major change for businesses as the reach of their posts will most likely see a significant decrease and will thus make it harder for brands to communicate with their followers.
Luckily, there are a number of things brands, especially SMBs with a Facebook page, can do to make sure they continue reaching as many of their followers as possible when posting on their Facebook Page.
Post engaging content that sparks real conversation
For Facebook, engagement equals quality content, so logically posts that generate a high number of clicks, shares, comments and reactions will be seen by more people. Try these simple strategies to increase the engagement of your posts:
- Ask questions to start a conversation. Instead of just posting to inform your followers about something, ask a question and make sure to reply and comment yourself. However, be careful to avoid “engagement-baits” and posts like “Comment “YES” below to participate in a contest”. Facebook notices these type of posts and will consider them as spam. Real conversation requires more meaningful interaction from both parties.
- Post a live video. Live videos reach approximately six times as many interactions as regular videos. That’s why SMBs should step into the spotlight and consider posting short live videos every now and then to present new products or anything meaningful for the business and the followers.
- Analyze your past posts’ performance. It’s always a good idea to look back at your old posts and the reach and engagement they’ve gained. You might identify certain types of posts that sparked more conversation or a specific time of the day that worked better in terms of reach. See what worked in the past and keep doing what performed well. Also, try analyzing the posts you see in your own Newsfeed. See what kind of posts made it to your newsfeed, think about the reasons behind the performance and use these insights as inspiration for your business page.
Ask you customers to follow your Facebook Page
The best way to ensure your customers and local community see what you post, is to make sure they follow your page on Facebook. Instead of just “liking” your page, encourage them to “Follow” it, too. And even better, if they choose the “See First” option, your new posts will always appear at the top of their Newsfeed.
Don’t be shy, but simply ask your clients to make sure they follow your Page, and advise them on how to turn the See First option on. Loyal customers will be happy to make sure they are the first ones to know about your news and promotions.
Invest in sponsored posts & Facebook advertising
If you haven’t already, now is the time to set aside a small budget and give your Facebook posts a boost with advertising. The only way to guarantee you reach enough people, and especially the right people for your business, is through advertising. The amount of detail you can use in choosing your target audience (age, gender, location, interests, job titles, your own website visitors etc.) is incredible. Setting up an ad is easy, but if you’re hesitant about your skills, local business directories and marketing partners usually offer simple Facebook advertising packages and will support you every step of the way.
Join or form a group around a relevant topic
Last, but not the least, Facebook posts in groups will start seeing higher reach and visibility. Many don’t know this, but brands can create their own groups and showcase relevant groups within their company page profile, which makes it easy for their followers to find and join them. Consider creating a group around the industry of your business with the scope of sharing ideas, insights and questions around the topic with like-minded people. Many groups are very active in their daily communication and this can be a great way to reach your audience. Just remember not to appear too salesy, but to focus on real, useful insights.
These strategies will help you increase the number of people who see and engage with your posts, despite the changes in business post visibility on Facebook. Just remember to always reply and keep the conversation going. Facebook aims to create more meaningful interactions between people, and luckily there are people working behind business pages as well – just let that show in your communication.
