Facebook organic reach is not dead, but you will need to work harder to get eyes on your pages. Here’s a rundown of what experts are saying will help you reach your audience. Facebook is still the top social media platform that marketers use and where consumers tend to look for and follow brand pages. So don’t despair!
Those running Facebook business pages have been seeing ever diminishing returns on their effort at getting their content in front of their audiences and fans, especially since around 2016. Yet Facebook remains the #1 platform for building an audience. Once upon a time, Facebook was incredibly fertile soil to grow our entrepreneurial and creative gardens in, at little to no cost to us. Many businesses are seeing a drastic reduction in reach, meaning that a tiny percentage of people are seeing our posts, even among those who follow our pages.
Have you ever heard something like, “The first one’s always free; that’s how they get you”? This has long been a business philosophy to hook prospective customers, used by savvy marketers and drug dealers alike. Facebook went and took that to the next level, introducing an easy-to-use platform where almost anyone could find and engage with their target audiences of customers, fans, members, and more.
Of course, there had to be a reckoning, and now that Facebook has more than 2.6 billion active monthly users worldwide, they continue to change the rules. Consider the amount of users and the amount of posts being made, and it makes more sense that Facebook tries to narrow the audience for any single post to a reasonable chunk. Otherwise, our brains would explode (okay, my words, not an actual medical opinion). Really, you don’t need to reach everybody, because not everybody is interested in what you’re offering. You need to reach the right people who are going to engage and build a smaller, engaged loyal group of diehard customers.
Community is key
Here are some of the latest tips and best practices to increase organic reach in 2021, provided by Facebook pros. Mark Zuckerburg keeps bringing up the concept of community, and the algorithm favors engagement, not only on Facebook, but across platforms. Nobody wants products and services constantly jammed in their faces.
This is a conversation, not a one-way portal into your customers’ brains and wallets. A constant barrage of salesy content, urging people to buy buy buy, grows real tedious real fast. “If you build it, they will come.” Only instead of a baseball field in the middle of nowhere, work to build a community.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you creating conversations?
- Are you using your platform to act as a resource and provide helpful or inside information in your niche or area of expertise?
- Are you asking your audience what they want and would like to see more of from you?
- Are you taking current events and trends into account, reacting to local/national/world news at all, and creating timely posts?
- Are you using a variety of post types (photos, videos, links) and taking advantage of Facebook’s built in post tools?
- Are you taking data into account for what content people are responding to favorably and when?
- Do you ever invest in Facebook ads or boosted posts for important content or events?
Find the answer to these questions to reevaluate your strategy, work on promoting a dialogue with your audience, and ideally you will see more engagement on your pages, fruitful interactions that ultimately lead to loyal customers and bigger sales.
Create Conversations
Zuckerburg himself comes back to this point repeatedly in his regular updates on the state of all things Facebook and how the algorithm works, saying Facebook will “prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people.” Not every industry lends itself to deep thoughts, but it can be simple enough to engage your audience with community questions. People love giving their opinions or talking about a shared interest.
Community questions can be fun, lively, and create fun interaction between your audience and the business. A simple This or That question posted on one of the background color templates can get the conversation started. If people don’t have to invest a lot of time to answer, then great! Depending on the industry, these can be easy one-offs: Red wine or white? Beach vacation or mountains? TikTok or Reels? Mac or PC? Harley Davidson hogs or Kawasaki crotch rockets? Early bird or night owl?
Hot takes, unpopular opinions, are another way to get people chatting. I’m not espousing trying to stir up controversy here, unless that is appropriate for your business, but people get emotional as all get out for something as simple as pineapple on pizza or beans in chili. What’s a popular or common opinion in your field? How can you introduce a hot take to get people chatting? For an entrepreneurial page, you could put out a hot take on a cluttered desk, or making lists, or standing desks.
Sure, these conversations may start out superficial, but who knows? When people begin interacting on your page more, they begin seeing more that you post, and that’s when you can introduce something a little weightier, asking them to share their expertise or advice on a relevant topic.
Become a resource
Whether your business is a science journal, digital marketing, interior designing, or a Texas Hill Country resort, your business and your audience is unique. Real estate agencies have become good at this, so we’ll use them as an example. If you are selling or leasing properties in Austin or San Francisco, sell the area. Don’t only post the properties you’re selling or agent profiles. Post those, yes, but also post industry news and local attractions.
When people are interested in moving to a new city or a new neighborhood or investing in opening a business there, they need to know why the area is attractive. What is the business climate? What are the financial perks associated with living there? What is the area known for (local restaurants, live music hiking trails, swimming holes, no traffic)? Has the area made a list for quality of life, affordability, great job prospects in X industry? Sharing blogs, articles, infographics, videos, and photos highlighting any of these can help your page serve the interests of your target audience. This is a good thing.
Ask your audience
This is a simple tip for keeping things closer to your audience’s interests, helping you identify areas where your page may be lacking–and opportunities for growth, and keeping the conversation going. Be careful not to overuse this one, but it’s an important tool.
- Try a simple question, such as “What would you like to see more of on this page?”
- Create a poll, which is much faster to answer, and helps you narrow answers down to what you really want to know.
- Similar to the community questions, ask them to share something that has helped them. A classic example would be “What is the best entrepreneurial advice anyone has even given you?” Or “Please share some tips to fight procrastination.” Or “What is the top time-saving tool you use in your business (or for scheduling)?” Having your page followers (and hopefully others) chat with each other this way is helpful for them and for your organic reach.
Take current events and trends into account
This one’s simple: Read the room. This goes both ways. If there is renewed interest in, say, downtown lofts or sea shanty dances on TikTok, can you use this momentary heat to bring interest to your page? On the other hand, if there is a natural disaster, tragedy, or financial crash that has caused great suffering in an area? That’s a good moment to review your scheduled posts and delete or postpone anything that could be unintentionally triggering or offensive.
Some types of businesses are better suited to jumping on the latest trend. Do you have a bar or restaurant with a fairly young, social media savvy crowd? Go ahead, Photoshop that Bernie-Sanders-in-mittens image sitting on your patio (only if you can do it as the trend is hitting). Are you targeting an area that has recently been hit by extended power outages? I’m sorry to tell you, but this is not the time to promote that popup restaurant where diners experience eating in the dark.
Mix it up and use native Facebook tools
Of course you want to stay on brand, but please don’t get caught in a rut where all of your posts are one type. Consistency is one thing, but beware that this doesn’t turn into monotony. Assess where you can change things up. Add photos, videos, links to relevant blogs and articles, or community questions. Different people respond differently to different types of input. Use all the tools at your disposal to generate interest, draw people in, and get them reacting to and engaging with your page.
Facebook and all social media platforms have built in tools. They want you to use them. Often, this is a Facebook effort to capitalize on a similar, competing app. Trust me when I say, you will get brownie points (higher reach) when you take the time to use these native tools. Facebook Watch, Facebook Live, Facebook Stories, even using a background color template from the Facebook options, are all ways to show Facebook you’re paying attention and want to optimize the tools they are giving you.
Use provided data
You need to be able to look for patterns, evaluate the factors that made a particular post popular, and know when your customers and followers are likely to see your page and interact with it. Facebook provides a number of insights in the platform, but there are numerous external marketing tools you can purchase or sometimes use for free (depending on how many pages and platforms you are running, and how in-depth you want your data to be).
Posting willy nilly is not the most effective way to be. Decide what data is useful to you and make time to study it, and be willing to make changes to your content strategy based on the data. Like many other aspects of marketing, expanding your organic reach is a mixture of art and science, a balancing act of intuition and cold, hard numbers. Use them.
Consider paying to play
I know, I know, this story is about organic and not paid reach, but the fact is strategically paying for a Facebook ad or boosting a post to highlight a launch, event, special deal, or other important news will bring more people to your page. If the other tips, tools, and best practices referred to here are in place, once they find your page, you have the ability to keep their attention through organic means.
Keep on truckin’
These tips should help you expand your page’s organic reach. More importantly, they should help you build and support a community, earn loyal followers and customers, and generate positive buzz about your business. Keep working on becoming a resource and sharing helpful information. Have fun with it and experiment with new media and types of posts. Know yourself. Know your audience.
Matt Stigliano
August 31, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Ines – I mainly commented here just so I could send that quote to Twitter. It’s one that everyone should recognize. You can be who you want, but the real you will always shine through.
I love when someone says something to you that’s simple and effective. It’s probably something you knew already, but hearing it out loud sometimes hammers it home.
Derek Massey
August 31, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I’m about 6′ 3″ tall. Put all us 6′ 2″ or taller guys in a room, and we are about 3.9% of the population. Yet if you put 100 CEO’s in a room, a striking 30% of them are 6′ 2″ or taller. Anyone who has read Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink” knows this.
What’s my point?
I’m lucky to be tall. I didn’t do anything special to become this tall, it just happened. Does it at least contribute to my success? Blink says it does.
With social media, my height means nothing. It doesn’t add followers, friends, or influence. You could be 3′ 6″ and have the same amount of social capital as me. If you have better ideas, are more helpful and can better connect people than me, you will have a more meaningful and influential network. Height, good looks, nice dress, Ivy pedigree — these are are what used to win on the business battlefield, but don’t cut it online.
Great article, Ines!
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
August 31, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Matt – you always manage to put a smile on my face – thanks for sending the Jerk quote to twitter 🙂
Derek – you totally got my point….it’s amazing how this medium gives opportunity to those that wouldn’t otherwise even get a chance (I know it’s shallow…..but we can’t turn our face to the rules of society).
cheers to the short people!!! and to the tall ones like Derek as well
Hal Lublin
August 31, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Totally agree with you, Derek. I’d like to think that I’m fairly good at getting a read on people, and I find that social media can allow people to get to know the real you quicker simply BECAUSE you aren’t hampered by physical preconceptions.
Doug Francis
August 31, 2009 at 2:45 pm
In the past week I have had two similar conversations coming up with ideas or themes for friend’s blogs. In both cases, the conversations ended on a positive note with all sorts of creative ideas flowing.
But both people started out poo-pooing blogging, Facebook-ing, and Twittering, but when a clear objective was refined and a strategy developed they were excited to get rolling.
It is really nice to have someone say, “I really enjoy talking with you” when you have simply helped them get started.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
August 31, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Hal – I didn’t just mean physical preconceptions either – it’s also easier for many to be social on line who have not had much luck with real life social skills – I’ve even seen many overcome the lack of F2F social skills with the help of SM (no wonder there’s a social component in SM!!!) 😀
Doug, and that little help of listening ear goes so much further in this medium. I, for one, have become a better listener
Ian Greenleigh
August 31, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I may have said it before (apologies, if so) but my favorite part of social media is access. The fact that everyone is on a relatively equal playing field when it comes to social media is part of the reason people like me have access to people like, well, you. I am just starting my career and have little to show by way of milestones and measures of success, but I can be relatively certain that you will read this. Perhaps you will think about it, perhaps you will not. But at the end of the day, I put myself in front of you in a way that we are both comfortable with (as opposed to say, calling you), and I would not have been able to do so in another era. I would never have the cajones to pick up the phone and call someone like Redfin CEO Glen Kelman, but he has personally (and thoughtfully) responded to my comments on his blog. At the very least, we get to exchange ideas with those that would otherwise be inaccessible. This is priceless.
Hal Lublin
August 31, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Good point Ines, I think the comfort of that computer screen makes a huge difference, I think one great thing that social media does is remove the awkwardness of the “meet n greet.” By time you physically encounter someone you’ve connected with online, you’re not really meeting them for the first time – you already have a comfort level with them that you’ve each developed on your own terms.
Jeff Turner
August 31, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Damn straight!
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
August 31, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Ian – you are absolutely right – access is an amazing part of social media – The fact that you can have a glass of wine with Sherry Chris from BHGRE or dinner with Pete Flint from Trulia would have never been possible in another era. SM also lets you have access to our sphere of influence’s sphere….which is incredible all by itself. But at the end of the day, it goes back to how you present yourself to the world and how you chose to share that “social capital” once you get it. (for the record, I would accept a call from you any day)
Hal – ice breaker in steroids! i totally knew you before I met you F2F
Jeff – I LOVE your deep contributions 🙂
Jeremy Hart
August 31, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Derek – I think you hit it on the head with that comment.
Ines (or anyone else that wants to comment), why do you think that the hard sell is still so prevalent in social media? You said yourself that with social media, you have the potential to mold yourself – and subsequently your message – however you want. Why does the “look at me, look at what I have to offer!” still get used so much when it’s not what the consumer wants?
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
August 31, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Jeremy – I think it has to do with the battle of egos we have in real estate. The **I’m bigger than you, take a better profile photo and have been in the business 30 years doing it wrong but my “top producer numbers” don’t reflect that.** We can show our worth and our real selves, whether we’ve been in the business for a year or 20
MIssy Caulk
August 31, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Computer screen or not, I is what I is.
Nice, fresh look at social media.
Matt Stigliano
August 31, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Ines – I only sent it, because it needed to be sent.
Ian has a great point about access. I have spoken to people who I admire, respect, and want to be more like thanks to social media. I’ve had my words recognized by people who probably wouldn’t know who I was otherwise. I’ve spoken to CEOs directly and many non-CEO employees who were there to help and now are among my contacts and friends when I run into something.
Jeremy – I think Ines is right. I also think it has to do with two parts of the same problem. The first part is that people don’t know any different. They’re doing it the way they always have. The second part is that there are people out there teaching it that way. I have heard several “gurus” in person state that if you can get enough followers, you’re broadcasting to a massive audience. If you have a million followers and only get a 0.5% return rate – you’re still getting 5,000 people to do whatever it is your broadcasting. In the world of social media, numbers like a million are not impossible.
What people are missing is that they are not a million people paying attention, they are merely a list of followers that probably never read a word of what you said. Relationships and conversation still matter online. You may never meet some people, but you still have to have a connection in order to build something other than a pen pal.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
August 31, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Missy – and I really like what you is 😀
Matt – you will always have those that will play the numbers game and what’s sad is that we are back to traditional methods that are “hit or miss” – If I was spending $10,000 in print advertising per month hoping to make $ off of 10% I was hitting and hoping that my ads in the paper would create a certain perception and in the end it always became a numbers game……a #’s game that made no sense to me.
The concept has been taught for years and those people will never go away. What’s amazing to me is that the same people that teach the numbers game have some sort of fanatic cult following that blows my mind.
Unfortunately for us, we are seeing those “cult leaders” joining in the SM bandwagon and expect to keep using their methods but now using the big trendy SM catch phrases to make believe they are at the top of the game…..maybe it’s not so unfortunate that they don’t get it.
Sal Antsipenka
August 31, 2009 at 10:47 pm
A lot of real estate professionals turn to social video as an extension of their marketing effort and in my opinion that leaves a bunch of them disappointed. Social media is a full time job if you do it in general. It requires a niche as any other business to be fun and creative.
Elaine Reese
September 1, 2009 at 12:17 am
Ok, I’ll fess up. I’m 5’7″, 110 lbs, and age 35. Do you buy that?
Sometimes when I hear of people being conned by online dating, I wonder how they could be so gullible. Then it dawns on me that I’m developing those same type of relationships with the people that I meet on these various social networks. Hopefully, our group of folks aren’t so deceptive.
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
September 1, 2009 at 12:45 am
Sal – some do claim you can do SM without going all the way. I don’t think there needs to be a niche necessarily, as long as you are consistent – but to take the question back to subject, even if you do choose to use video…..you can do it without pre-conceptions…..because we are not just talking about looks here.
Elaine – what? you’re not? 🙂
(I’ve thought the same thing about deception……but as I said with the “jerk” comment above…..true colors would eventually show)
Matt Stigliano
September 1, 2009 at 8:01 am
Ines – Those cult-like leaders are using the buzzwords. I’ve seen it around me. I hate buzzwords. I try to avoid them. It does annoy me that some great words are stricken from my vocabulary because of a few that insist on drilling them into the ground. Oh well, time to invent new words I guess.
@respres and I spoke to each other about the hard sell once and he said something so simple to me that it’s stuck with me all this time. The hard sell is still around, because it still works. People do get business with the hard sell or it would have died a long time ago. I don’t know how it still works, since there is nothing more repulsive to me and many I know, but somewhere out there is someone screaming “Please sell to me and be pushy about it!”
Joe Loomer
September 1, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I’ll be 29 this Friday, or was it 46? Either way, if I’m not relevant or worse – if I’m rude – even the x-number of followers and friends I have won’t ready my posts.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Susie Blackmon
September 1, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Love getting to know people virtually and then meeting them IRL. I’m too darn old to try to be something I’m not! It is what it is. Many times you can get to know more about people by being social with them on-line first. Love the realtors who blast away on FB and Twitter “Oh I’ve been so busy with closings and showings and did you know I’m the featured realtor of the month?” Had you never met me in person I bet you’d never know I love Cowboys and horses. 😉
Ines Hegedus-Garcia
September 1, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Matt – and NOW you are getting to the good part – we will attract “like minded individuals” through this medium. I hate hard sales and will never do it….I’m at peace with playing the “do onto others” game. Funny enough I have encountered people that want me to sell them and actually have confessed to feeling uncomfortable with my style ……..different strokes for different folks or as we say in Venezuela, “cada loco con su tema”
Joe – rude? LMAO!!
Susie – you totally rock – think of the diversity of people you meet on-line that you would usually not be exposed to? beyond powerful if you ask me. And for the cowboys and horses…….it’s written all over you 🙂
Linsey
September 11, 2009 at 12:59 am
Sorry to be slow in my response – my reader has been ignored for far too long. Love this post. I’ve been amazed and thrilled by the opportunity the Social Media has given me to engage in conversations that fascinate and intrigue me. I’m no longer in a large office but I still crave the interaction of challenging thinkers and people asking the great questions. This has surely given me that.
I also wonder about something. Just a theory but I think those that try to present anything they are not, find that they may pull it off for a week, maybe two, maybe a little more. But, before long, they realize transparency – intended or no – seems to be part of the social media reality.