One of the biggest complaints I hear about Facebook is that fewer and fewer fans are actually seeing Page posts.
Business owners are increasingly frustrated because they have worked hard (or paid big) to grow their fan base, and then very few of their fans are actually seeing their posts in their Newsfeeds. Sound familiar, perhaps?
Edgerank Checker recently reported that organic reach per fan is down to an all-time low of 6.51%…compare this to 2012 when it was 16% (which still wasn’t a great number!).
The good news is that there is a way to get much, much higher reach and engagement, for FREE. Using a simple, common sense tactic, you can far exceed the average reach that other business owners are experiencing. Here’s what I mean (this is a screenshot from my own Facebook analytics from a few weeks ago):
My posts reached a combined 15.6 MILLION people, I had 1.3 MILLION “Likes”, “Comments” and “Shares” and 3,200 new fans “Liked” my page…and this was all done without spending a PENNY on advertising!
Before I share my simple, common sense strategy with you, it’s important that you understand exactly WHY post reach has decreased (because it’s the key to my strategy)…
The Problem of Decreased Post Reach…
According to Brian Boland, VP of Facebook’s Ads Product Marketing team, Facebook isn’t ‘out to get’ marketers, and isn’t decreasing reach so Page owners will need to buy ads.
He has stated that there are 2 main factors that account for decreased reach, and neither has to do with making Facebook more money.
- An increased number of posts are being created, which leads to increased competition in Newsfeed. With a limited amount of space in the Newsfeed, something has got to ‘give’!
- Facebook’s increased commitment to showing only the most relevant content to each user. Even though there are 1500+ possible posts that can be shown to each user every day, Facebook only shows around 300…so Facebook needs to determine which ones are ‘worthy’ of being included in this number. And THIS is where my strategy comes in…..
Free Facebook Traffic: My Strategy for Getting
Boland has stated that Facebook is getting better at showing only the most engaging posts, based on a 2-pronged strategy: through showing higher-quality content, and through cleaning up spam. Although it’s so absolutely SIMPLE, most marketers are missing out on this common sense strategy: produce high-quality content, and avoid spamming!
So simple, right??
But what does “high-quality content” look like exactly? Here’s the strategy I use to consistently get amazing reach and engagement from my Facebook posts.
- Use visual content.
We know that images outperform every other type of content on social media. As much as possible, use pictures to supplement or even replace your text-based content. A common misconception is that creating amazing graphics requires expensive software programs and graphic design knowledge. But I’m here to tell you that you can create stunning images with little to no graphic design skills for FREE (or close to free). Check out my posts 6 Free Tools to Create Amazing Eye-Catching Graphics and How to Create Amazing Graphics with Phone Apps. - Make your content shareable aka relatable.
Creating shareable content means creating content your audience will love…will love so much that they can’t wait to share it with their friends! I use a mix of content types from humor to inspiration to business tips, etc. I also share useful information (usually free). Things like info-products, e-books or other downloads that help my ideal customer in some way. - Investigate what’s working and what’s not.
Take a look at the analytics for your Page, as well as the ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and ‘shares’ on your competitors’ Pages. What’s working for you and for them? What’s not working? Do more of what’s working and stop wasting your time on what’s not. Despite all your careful planning, you may be surprised to discover that what you THOUGHT your fans would like was wrong; your insights are the best way to get into your fans’ minds to see what they ACTUALLY want to see more of.
And avoiding spam is straightforward as well. Try to avoid:
- ‘Like-baiting’: Explicitly asking fans to like or share your posts
- Frequently circulated content: Sharing unique, original content rather than content that’s been shared over and over again, and
- Spammy links: Making sure that the content at the other end of the links you post is relevant and meets the expectations of users.
For more on this, see my post Facebook Says You are Spamming…REALLY?
So by consistently creating high-quality, shareable posts and avoiding being spammy, you too can beat the odds and rise above the competition – for FREE!
For a full analysis of Facebook’s organic reach problem and more tips for overcoming it, see my Huffington Post article Free Facebook Traffic is Still Possible.
Are you frustrated by the organic reach of your posts?
What strategies have you used to extend the reach of your posts?
Share with us below!