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.
Mack in Atlanta
July 22, 2008 at 8:12 am
What do you mean away from my email for more than 8 hours? I get email notifications to my TREO every 15 minutes. I’m on vacation right now in Daytona Beach, Florida and my TREO is with me by the pool, my laptop is in the condo and I am still connected to the world. BTW I had a gentleman contact me last night about listing six investment properties for him. Yes you can still do business in the real estate world while catching up on some R and R.
Paula Henry
July 22, 2008 at 8:19 am
Mack – Then there are those of us do not need to sleep 🙂 I know the feeling – I am always on, except – I am still working on my beauty sleep; then the emails must wait for me.
Gotta love vacations – I am most busy when I plan a vacation – good luck with those listings!
Mack in Atlanta
July 22, 2008 at 8:35 am
It seems as though this year was even worse with the several weeks before vacation. Things just got very crazy. Now if I had to work on beauty sleep there is no way anything would ever get done. Not enough hours in my day for beauty sleep.
Matt Stigliano
July 22, 2008 at 8:38 am
Paula – Thanks for this post. I am being barraged by other agents, brokers, and various companies soliciting my business…all reminding me of these “tried and true” methods of yesteryear. Its post like these that make me want to forge a “new” path (not new to most of you, but certainly new for me and new for San Antonio – I don’t see much of this going on around here).
Bill Lublin
July 22, 2008 at 8:41 am
Paula; I’m so old school I remember when it was broker- centric. But as always your post hits on the most important part we need to remember – that without touching the people the tools don’t matter
🙂
Jason Sandquist
July 22, 2008 at 9:03 am
Just like @Matt, when I got in I almost went broke with all the mailings. They were suppose to work right? I stay ‘connected’ with a variety of social media sites and I am in front of the computer most of time anyways and all it takes is a hello.
I was reading somewhere the other day, coulda been here or somwhere else, wish I could remember to give cred, but anyways it was about how most consumers a referral might not work for them in a few years. They want to do their own research and find someone that fits them. Gone, good-bye. I know a lot of agents that solely live and die by the referral.
Artur | Phoenix Real Estate
July 22, 2008 at 9:03 am
Funny thing is, 2 days ago I happened to meet an agent at a house he listed, one of several dozen, and his business card had no cell phone, no website, no email. He’s been in business since the early 80’s and is as old school as you can get, including visually but he’s got plenty of business. From what I see very few agents are getting their business from online sources.
Dan Connolly
July 22, 2008 at 9:18 am
@Matt You know the old truism, if your business is slow and you want to make it jump into high gear, schedule a vacation!
Dan Connolly
July 22, 2008 at 9:19 am
typo! I meant @Mack! An edit feature would be nice here (wish list)
Norm Fisher
July 22, 2008 at 9:36 am
Paula, it is amazing how much things have changed in such a short time.
I think the best way to stand out as “remarkable and unforgettable” is to treat each client as remarkable and unforgettable.
Gites
July 22, 2008 at 10:12 am
I agree “marketing” has changed completely. Our business now receives 90% of enquiries by email and 10% by telephone. Just goes to show that people prefer to communicate by email. PS we have no front office but have a big web presence.
Matt Stigliano
July 22, 2008 at 11:05 am
Norm – I think your “remarkable and unforgettable” quote should be a mantra used in real estate. I like it much better than “buyers are liars” (which I was appalled to hear when someone in a class said it – doesn’t matter if its true or not, cause I’m sure it goes both ways – but to think of your clients and potential clients in terms like that is disgusting if you ask me).
Dylan Darling
July 22, 2008 at 11:08 am
@Dan
“@Matt You know the old truism, if your business is slow and you want to make it jump into high gear, schedule a vacation!”
I couln’t agree more. When I get slow my wife pleads for a vacation and it never fails. I just got back from Mexico and what do you know- 2 rattified deals while I was gone.
But you can’t count on vacation. Today’s successful agent has to find balance. Web, mailings, marketing, cold calls, and any other consumer contact have to be done in a professional manner, but with a personal touch.
Norm Fisher
July 22, 2008 at 11:40 am
@ Matt. For sure. It’s impossible to develop a meaningful connection with anyone if we expect the worst of them from the outset. Most people, when treated with respect are eager to do the same.
Glenn fm Naples
July 22, 2008 at 11:55 am
Paula – you brought back fond memories of when I first started in real estate and did the postcard mailings and went to all the seminars by the “gurus”. It was not hard to realize the potential of the Internet for real estate, just some agents did not catch on.
I especially liked your mention that in today’s real estate market people just don’t stop into a brokerage – the bricks versus click theory was out there at least 5 years ago.
I did like the Forget Me Not seed packages.
Real estate will always be a high touch service if one wants to successful.
Jeremy Hart
July 22, 2008 at 10:40 pm
@ Artur | Phoenix Real Estate – “From what I see very few agents are getting their business from online sources.” I know there are several agents that visit here at AG that see a LOT of business from online sources. The agent you referenced, who’s been in business since the early 80’s, has seen a lot of trends come and go. Some worked, some didn’t, but it’s probably safe to say that he sees the majority of his business from repeat and referral clients at this point, wouldn’t you guess? To use Paula’s analogy of the seeds, the seeds he planted a long time ago laid the foundation for his continued success today.
Ruthmarie Hicks
July 22, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Paula,
Most agents in my area are frozen in that mind-set. Blogging and GOOD web sites are hard to come by. I mention the “internet” and their eyes glaze over. They need to get moving or they are going to be left behind.
LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!:-)
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 5:18 am
Mack – I’ve heard the same thing from many agents in the last few weeks; am glad I didn’t plan vacation. Beauty sleep is overated anyway 🙂
Matt – Forging your own path is what makes a unique you!
Bill – I didn’t know about broker centric.It’s always about the human touch.
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 5:21 am
Who or what is puurple???
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 5:49 am
Jason – I, too did all the mailings; thousands more than I would like to think about. I’m not going to say they don’t work, I know they do for some people; usually those who have been doing it for a long time. In the past postcards were all about the agent. If you would design a card today, it better have a WIIFM for the client or it’s wasted money.
Referrals are still a good source of business for many. You still need both! Gen Y will probably not use Aunt Edna’s referral, if the agent can not use email to send documents, SMS or any other tool which makes the process easier for them.
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 6:09 am
Artur – I know agents likes this also, I see it alot in small towns here in the Midwest. It is not the norm, though. Honestly – I dislike working with agents who have no email address. It is painful!
I know many agents who make a great income from their web presence – of course, you have to have a great web presence. Those who adapted early are way ahead!
Dan – Vacation works for business. I was totally bummed I couldn’t go to SF this week – on the other hand, I will write almost a mllion in sales this week (from online clients).
Finding balance is key – sometimes I am on this computer way too much 🙂
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 6:38 am
Norm – The key to success and I agree with Matt.
Matt – Maybe Norm has coined a new definition of client care. Buyers are Liars is a horrible phrase – buyers are usually just not sure what they really want or what they can afford. With professional guidance (that’s us) they can generally narrow down what they need and want in a home.
Dylan – It’s definitely a balancing act – I can attract web leads all day – but the professional, personal contact will make them clients.
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 7:05 am
Glenn- Yea – the good old days 🙂 Funny, though, they weren’t so long ago. I remember my first brokerage was by the local grocery store and people did stop in for a book, to list their home or talk to an agent.
Jeremy – Excellent point!
Ruthmarie – I was speaking with an agent yesterday who told me she doesn’t want to learn how to market on the interent. She will be left behind. I have people ask me all the time how I do what i do. I am willing to share and teach; most do not want to learn.
Thank you for the wonderful compliment!
Jennifer Hart
July 23, 2008 at 11:21 am
I still mail postcards and sometimes walk my neighborhood with trinkets such as pumpkins and winter door knob decorations. But, I’ve added a new “gift” this year and I had more people calling me to thank me. This year I gave to clients, close neighbors and friends a “green” bag with a note asking to please use canvas bags instead of plastic and paper at grocery stores or any other stores.
Even with all the door to door gifts, the majority of my clients do come from my website.
Paula Henry
July 23, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Jennifer – Love the green bag idea! Sounds like you have incorporated the personal touch and technology wonderfully 🙂
Glenn fm Naples
July 25, 2008 at 5:49 am
Paula – one has to wonder what things will be like in a few more years.