Updates on Facebook’s algorithm have made it more and more difficult for your business page to obtain organic growth. One day you’re told that photos should be included in every post and the next, that click-bait headlines are the future. It’s difficult trying to keep up with all these changes but know this, your content is not the problem it’s Facebook’s news feed algorithm.
Facebook was built on connecting people, so bare in mind that content from your friends and family will be prioritised over page’s content. So what do you do? Well, I believe these 6 tips will help you increase your organic reach within Facebook’s newsfeed.
A snapshot of Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm history
When Facebook was in its early years their news feed used a ranking system called EdgeRank, this system was used to prioritize the posts that appear in a user’s newsfeed. This system changed the content you would see based on actions taken on posts and your relationships with others coupled with the time relevance of the post.
EdgeRank is no longer referred as such internally but these factors are only three of thousands of factors, all calculated in various ways. It’s evolving on a near-daily basis and is unique to each user’s preferences.
When thinking about managing your Facebook page, you need to be up to date with changes that can impact your performance, so having an agency on board that keep up to date with these changes has never been so valuable. You can find out more about social media management here…
1. Using Video on Facebook?
Video is a popular media in the growing age of social media and as a result, it naturally receives more reach. So based on what we have already learnt about the Facebook algorithm, this can be a gold mine.
A study performed by Quintly in 2016 saw that Facebook video formats compared to native YouTube videos received a 109.67% higher interaction rate and 477.76% higher share rate.
This proves that post format matters! So if you have the original video, it’s better to upload and post than share a YouTube video link.
Another great feature that can be used with video is your page cover, this has previously been static, but with recent updates you can now add overlay text and even have this as a video! Utilize these design features to retain people on your page longer.
2. Live, Live and more Live
Facebook live is massively underrated and used. According to Facebook, users spend 3x more time watching Live videos than non-live videos. They’re considered a separate content type and more likely to appear higher in the news feed.
Have an eCommerce business? Go Live! What better way to engage with your customers than to be talking about your products in your audience’s news feed! Statistics show that adults check their Facebook account over 5 times a day, so you have plenty of opportunities to reach your target audience and increase sales!
Offering professional services? Go Live! Potential customers want to learn more about you and what you can offer, so perform live Q&A sessions to educate your audience which will put them further down the conversion funnel and ultimately increase your customer base and brand awareness.
3. Share & Tag
Take a moment to tag other pages in your posts when relevant. For example, if your restaurant is using eggs from a nearby farm, tagging the farm’s page not only notifies them of your post but also gives them content to share. It’s a win for everyone!
4. Repost Your Blog Posts
This is not quite Facebook specific but social media in general, it is important to take time to develop your blog posts with shareable content, especially those that are more popular and evergreen. You can pull quotes from articles, post photos and even design specific graphics to help you report your content.
Sharing blog posts on your page has secondary effects of establishing your authority in your field and letting your audience know that the blog exists. If your content is high quality and relevant to others in your field, it also becomes useful for other pages to post.
6. Narrow Your Audience
This is a great tool if you have a wider audience, try narrowing your audience down by interests or location. Facebook gives you the option to set these preferences and restrictions per post. While this may initially narrow your reach, it may increase your engagement. Think of it as fine tuning the relevance to specific fans.
6. Consider Using Facebook Ads
Sometimes a Boost is all you need to stretch out the reach of a Facebook post. Your ad strategy can go hand-in-hand with your organic growth strategy. If you see posts organically doing well with certain audiences, spend some money to boost it. You might be surprised to see that it might lead to viral engagement.
Test, Measure, Refine!
Facebook’s algorithm will most certainly be different in 6 months time, so don’t be afraid to experiment with some of these tips and if it doesn’t work first time, see what went wrong. If you did a Facebook live and didn’t get good results ask your audience for feedback to improve and try again.
Keep in mind that highly relevant and high-quality posts will always take priority over any trend that might crop up. Their tweaks to the algorithm regarding clickbait headlines is an example!
Remember that you can always have DPOM manage your social media! Contact us for more information.
