Organic reach for Facebook Business Pages is plummeting. In fact, some people say by more than 50%. So, how do you make sure that the content you share on Facebook is actually seen?
There are thousands of factors that determine how the News Feed ranks content, but overall, Facebook’s goal has always been the same: Connect people to the stories they want to be connected to.
That means prioritizing posts from family, friends, and news organizations over content from brands.
To claim your spot on the News Feed among the 60 million other businesses marketing on Facebook, you have to understand two things: one, how the News Feed ranks content, and two, where Facebook is heading as a business, not simply a social network.
When Facebook ranks content, really, it’s looking at four things: who posted it, how people engaged with it, what kind of post it is, and when it was posted.
The more engagement a post gets, the more it — and your future posts — are seen in the News Feed.
Remember, less is more. For brands, reach actually drops with each additional post, especially if you post more than three times a day. Be selective about what you post and how often.
You’ve also got to avoid clickbait. Facebook tracks the amount of time people spend reading an article and watching a video and decreases its visibility if people immediately bounce from it or scroll past.
Facebook is looking more and more like a video platform every day and the algorithm reflects that. The News Feed prioritizes Facebook Lives in real time, and now notes how long people watch pre-produced videos, giving long videos with high completion rates an extra boost.
But more than anything else, you’ve got to know your audience. The News Feed is smart enough to know the type of posts people want to see.
To increase those engagement rates, try using Preferred Audience Tracking to optimize who sees your content. Jump up to “Settings” and make sure “Audience Optimization for Posts” is turned on. The next time you post, just click on the tiny target and choose interests relevant to your content.
If your organic reach is dropping, don’t be surprised. Instead, know your audience and post quality content they want to engage with. Definitely consider promoting posts with ad spend, but know there are ways to make the algorithm work for you and your business.
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