Social media marketing starts with Facebook, and rightly so. Facebook is the go-to social media platform for almost 37% of the world’s population.
The most dominant and mind-bending aspect of every Facebook marketing strategy is Facebook reach. If you are associated with any marketing team, you must have heard this word more times than you can count.
There is a reason for that, every marketer or influencer creates a Facebook post for maximum exposure, and this exposure is commonly referred to as reach.
What is reach?
Defining Facebook’s reach is more challenging than one might think. There are two types of reach on Facebook.
- Organic Reach
- Paid Reach
In general, when we say reach; it means organic reach. There are several parameters within the organic reach i.e. post reach and page reach.
Post reach means the number of people you single post reach, whereas page reach means the number of people who came across the total number of posts on your page.
Reach means the number of screens your post came across, not the number of viewers. If someone displays your post on a projector in a stadium, many people will view your post, but your reach will be one.
Impressions are when one user views your post several times; that is why impressions are always more than the reach of a single post. Reactions are when people like, love, or express their emotions in other forms available.
Combining these metrics is considered an optimal reach, although some marketers might disagree; we all have our opinions.
Paid reach is exactly what it comes printed on the can, the number of people that come across your post after boosting your post with dollars.
You can increase your organic reach by using effective tools offered by Adublisher.com, i.e. schedule posts on Facebook with Adublisher and schedule RSS Feed.
Are reach and engagement interchangeable?
Reach and engagements are different variables, although they are mostly used collectively, like PB and J. Reach is the number of unique impressions on your post or page, whereas engagement is a CTA.
Engagements are the ultimate goal of every social media marketing strategy.
Another interesting debate on the internet is whether more reach is important for more engagements or vice versa.
Some bloggers and marketers might say it’s a “chicken-or-egg ” question, but the statistics suggest that more reach doesn’t mean more engagement.
If you have only a few views, but they are engaging with your post, like commenting, sharing, clicking on the link, or the CTA (call to action), you will see a rise in reach and your ROIs, the ultimate goal.
Is organic reach declining?
Unfortunately Yes! Organic reach has declined since 2012 but took a deep dive after the algorithm update in 2018, and in 2021, it has come to a mere 2.2%. This means that if you have 100 followers on your page, approximately two will see your post.
There are a few reasons for the decline of organic reach, starting with the working algorithm of the platform. Facebook realized that most people used social media to interact with friends and family and decided to aid the process instead of resisting.
Facebook announced in 2018 that they would focus more on generic posts from Facebook friends than paid and business/corporate posts. As a result, Facebook ad reach was reduced from 2.1 billion in Jan 2021 to 1.9 billion in Jan 2023.
(source WeAreSocial)
The second reason is the sheer amount of users on the network. If you go back a decade, there were a few posts, and if you had few friends on Facebook, you would see the end of your feed, not today.
There is just too much content for a single user to consume. An average user spends about 35 minutes on Facebook, and the average number of stories shared on the same page is 1500.
According to Facebook, the number of posts on a single feed increased by 50% in a year. Combining these numbers with the personalized feed algorithm of Facebook and the paid ads, organic feed is facing a lot of challenges.
At this point in the conversation, two main questions arise,
If the paid reach is declining, should we focus on organic feed?
Since the organic feed is also declining, should we focus on ways to increase organic search?
The answer to both questions is YES!
Paid ads are going down like dominos due to Facebook algorithm change; we don’t know when it will be updated again. But we can focus on increasing the organic reach by implementing new strategies.
The best practices to help you gain more reach on Facebook.
In this blog, we will share with our readers a detailed guide on how they can implement new techniques to increase their reach without breaking the bank.
Engage with your audience.
This has been said a million times that engaging with your audience is the best way to retain and grow them. The first step in audience engagement is posting regularly and intelligently.
Posting regularly on social media can be daunting, especially if you have multiple pages.
You can always post and schedule posts with Adublisher for convenience. If you have a website, you can share your blog posts by scheduling RSS Feed with Adublisher for auto-posting.
Engaging with an audience is more than just posting content on Facebook; you should be creative to outsmart the competition.
For instance, you can ask questions at the end of your post or invite viewers to share their thoughts on the matter by starting or ending the post with “share your thoughts in the comment section “or “share this video with your friends.”
Comments on a post or sharing them can make your post viral. Facebook’s definition of viral and non-viral posts is simple; if people see your post because someone from their friends liked, commented, or shared it, it’s a viral post.
If they see your post because you are friends with them, they follow you, or if you fall in their personalized feed, it’s a non-viral post.
So, if you want to make your post viral, entice your viewers to comment, and you can prolong these comments by replying to them in the comment section. The longer the comments, the more reach you will have on that post.
You can also add a poll in your posts like I am looking for a new TV show, which one is your favorite and add a few shows below. The same is for restaurants and celebrities, etc.
Be a responsible citizen.
People always support and fancy influencers that can resonate with their problems and issues. Show common decency and responsibility by highlighting the current issues and try to play your part.
You can post about current affairs and issues and ask people for their thoughts on solving this problem.
Share new information and your experiences with people. Studies have shown that positive posts get a high reach, but negative and controversial posts also gain more heat.
Be authentic and humane.
It is important that your audience feel connected with you not just by your posts but with the person behind the page. Facebook live video feeds can help you with that.
Go live and talk to your followers, answer their questions, and let them feel like a part of your community. If you have some secret talents or DIY ideas, share them with them.
(image source Meta)
Show them how you are just a normal being like them; if they can relate with you, they will interact, and your engagements will skyrocket, as will your reach.
If you have learned something new, share it with them, let them weigh in, and respect their views.
Post good content at the right time.
Unlike popular belief, Facebook is not a place to dump any content you deem right. Post meaningful and informative content that can help or engage your viewer.
Posting at the right time is vital for your Facebook reach. The right time can sometimes mean the peak time, as peak times vary for everyone.
There is no “best time” in Facebook postings; you need to analyze your audience and figure out which time is best.
There are a lot of studies and research on the internet, but the overall best time to post on Facebook is midweek from mid-morning— 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.— to mid-afternoon— 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
These times and days are not suitable for everyone, and the best approach is to analyze your old posts and experiment with new ones to find out the best time for posting on Facebook.
Good quality media.
We are in the 20th century when mobile phones can capture and display 4k images and videos. That is why it’s crucial that you post high-definition and good-quality media on your pages.
You don’t need to hire a professional photographer or have a professional setup for uploading good images and videos, as that can be done conveniently with your phone.
Refrain from relying on good captions and posting good videos and reels. Most of the Facebook reach is coming from reels and videos; invest in visualization for better results.
If you are going live, make sure your mike is working properly and using a good-quality camera.
People are very picky regarding the quality of the media, and rightly so; they have thousands of other posts they can explore. Keep up with the competition and ensure that if you are using a link in your post, it opens quickly with minimum load time.
The Facebook algorithm ranks link posts depending on the links’ load speed, meaning the user and Facebook will not consider your slow links.
Cater content, according to Facebook.
It’s a no-brainer that social media marketing is wider than just Facebook; most social media marketers use multiple platforms to maximize their audience.
The most common mistake they make is posting the same content across all social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
(Source Hootsuite)
Every platform has its algorithm and requirements for content. Facebook offers many formats for posting, like Stories, Feed posts, Ads, Videos, Reels, Link Posts, product posts, and so on.
You can’t fit one post for all sizes, find a format you like and post according to it for better reach and engagement.
Test and experiment with your posts.
Videos have the most reach on Facebook, but successful social media teams are open to multiple formats for more reach.
Experiment with the type of content, time when to post, format, and number of your posts, and funnel out the best fit for your niche.
Don’t get discouraged by small failures; always measure your success as common page reach. It is vital to keep on experimenting and posting simultaneously for higher ROIs.
Schedule Posts on Facebook with Adublisher for your advantage.
Adublisher is a user-friendly social media management tool that can help you gain more reach quickly. Since you will be experimenting with new formats, content, and posting time, sharing some of this burden with Adublisher is only fair.
You can schedule posts on Facebook with Adublisher and always be present for your audience. Google Analytics, which comes built-in with the tool, can help you find which time and post works for you.
Unsurprisingly, most businesses have blogs or websites; posting your recent work on social media can take time and effort. With Adublisher, you can schedule your RSS Feed for manual and auto-posting on Facebook.
A combination of Paid and Organic reach.
No doubt that paid reach is down, and the algorithm needs to support it, but a combination of both organic and paid posts can be the solution you are looking for.
You can keep on posting your engaging content regularly by implementing best practices and occasionally use paid posts for an extra boost, bringing the best of both worlds.
Conclusion.
Facebook is a great fit for your social media marketing, with billions of users globally. Its advantage can become a problem for you if you are not careful.
Carry out a productive game plan by regularly posting high-quality and informative content at the right time. Post videos and go live, interact with your audience as much as possible, and keep on trying new things.
