In the past few years, organic Facebook reach has dropped by more than 50% and thanks to Facebook’s latest announcement, it is going to plummet even more. Frustrating, isn’t it? Well, you’re not alone. Gone are the days when businesses could post anything their little heart’s desire, sit back – relax and wait for all the engagement to fill the page. Now, most brands are lucky if their audience even gets to see 2% of their organic posts in the cluttered newsfeed… and it’s still declining.
What is Organic Reach, Anyway?
Let’s back up a moment and define organic reach and why it’s so important to your business. Organic Facebook reach is basically a measurement of how many individuals see your content through unpaid (read: free) distribution. Paid reach, on the other hand, is the total number of unique people who were shown your post as a result of paid advertisements.
Organic reach on Facebook is like the long lost treasure brands search for in their quest for free social media visibility. And it’s powered by Facebook’s algorithm. This machine-learning system gives more visibility to posts that resonate well with your audience (more shares, comments, likes, etc). The opposite is also true: if your posts don’t engage with people, those people are even less likely to see your future posts. Yikes.
Is this the end of free posts as we know it? Never fear! We’re here to help you hack through the mess and recover your organic Facebook reach once and for all!
Hack #1: Target a Preferred Audience
Similar to ad targeting, preferred audience targeting allows you to target your organic updates as if they were ads (but for free).
Here’s how you can find it. Click on settings in the upper right hand corner of your business Facebook page. Then scroll about half-way down and you’ll find “Preferred Page Audience” on the left hand side of your settings page.
If you really want to start recovering your organic reach, you need to stop shouting to all of your followers and narrow the focus on those individuals who are truly interested in what you have to offer and who are more likely to engage with your updates.
Hack #2: Target the Right Time
With so many opinions out there about “the best time to post on Facebook,” it can get confusing. The real answer is, no one really knows the best time to post on your page… except YOU. You are the only one with access to your specific Insights, so use the data to your advantage.
Test out different times to see what works best, identify patterns and then make changes. Because when you become strategic about your posting times, it can mean the difference between going viral or not even being seen in the first place.
Hack #3: Target the Right Content
Are you a valuable resource for your customers? Of course you are. But does your audience know about it? Probably not. Your mission, should you accept, is to become THE go-to resource for your industry, the one that people turn to for professional help and the empathetic, trustworthy business that is ready to solve all their problems.
Don’t hold anything back, spread your wealth of knowledge. But be sure to post consistently and plan your content in advance. If your audience loses interest, your organic reach will take a nosedive.
Your Secret Weapon: Post Café
While we may never see the old Facebook organic reach numbers again (ok, we probably never will), hopefully you can mitigate your losses from the latest Facebook news feed update and experience a little boost in organic reach with these three simple hacks.
Let the experts at Post Café help you get started with the right content today. If you’d like to get more detailed information, call us at 732-218-9377 to learn more about how you can use this secret weapon to your fullest advantage.
