As a social media strategist, I manage a fair number of Facebook pages for clients. Much of my day involves growing each presence and researching methods for increasing followers and subscriptions, and crafting quality content that encourages fans to share that information. As social networks evolve, not just Facebook, they tend to change the rules and in turn makes jobs like mine more interesting and challenging. Recently, Facebook has allowed page administrators to see real-time results of their actions in the form of "reach" statistics per status update. As hard as you work to promote your business or project through Facebook, however, you may be disappointed with what you see.
First, let's define reach. Next time you're on your Facebook page, check the line of stats underneath the like, comment, and share links. You'll see a number (100 people reached, for example) and a percentage point. The number represents how many people saw that particular status update, and if you hover over that link you'll see how many of those 100 people are organic or viral viewers. Organic viewers have already liked your page, and viral folks are friends of those people. Both demographics are important, of course. You rely on your organic audience to continue visiting your page and reading/liking information, and the content you provide must prove compelling enough for the viral audience to grow and transfer to your organic grouping.
So, 100 people saw one post. If 100 people are fans of your page, you have a perfect record and should pat yourself on the back. If you have 7,000 fans, though, it means your message only reached a small percentage of your captive audience! According to Facebook Marketing, pages will reach an average of 16% of overall fans.
It's wonderful to have thousands of fans attached to your business page, but if so few people actually get the message you could be shouting in the wind.
Why, you may ask, is this reach so low. People have liked the page, so they should see statuses appear in their news feeds, right? Well, yes and no. As we mentioned earlier, Facebook likes to change the game often. The move toward the Timeline algorithm may have put off users who suddenly no longer see updates by certain friends. These days we have to be savvy enough to know how to adjust our feeds so we get what we want. As a page owner, you should know that the people you'll reach most often are the ones who actively seek out your information regularly. In turn, Facebook recognizes that since these people visit your page or access your information often, your updates are included in their feeds.
Similarly, people who don't check your page often don't receive as much attention from you because of this algorithm. Then the unthinkable occurs: out of sight, out of mind. That person remains a notch in your fan count, but they don't benefit.
How do you combat this and raise your reach? Here's the kicker: Facebook offers you the opportunity to promote individual posts. Unlike Facebook ads that direct users to specific pages or off-site links, promoted posts are designed to show in more feeds and hopefully reignite interest among established fans. Once they see you're still active, users may visit your page more often and re-enter the organic demographic, raising your subsequent reach.
Like their ad program, the promoted posts have no set price. You determine the cost and Facebook lets you know how many people will receive the notification. Thirty dollars, for example, could increase your reach by a few thousand people, while a hundred dollars highlights your post to tens of thousands. Remember, we're talking about people who have already liked your page!
The thought that you have to pay to speak up to people who already like your page may frustrate you, especially if you've spent money on campaigns just getting users to click the like button in the first place. You may wonder, is there a way to get around this and work organically toward reviving reach. There are a few tricks to try, but the effectiveness may depend on what you can accomplish via Facebook:
Make sure your followers know to adjust feed settings so your updates show. Have them hover over the page's like button and click "Show in News Feed." Engage those followers you do reach. Respond to comments, positive and negative, and show support through likes. You may find those fans become more active, and you can increase viral reach. Be visual. One thing I've noticed on some client pages is that the reach jumps when we post a photo or upload a video (as opposed to linking to either). Having the media directly on the page increases sharing potential, so definitely create some viral graphics.Lastly, don't feel discouraged by low reach numbers. Think creatively with your Facebook marketing, and experiment with your page. It only takes one action to create a reaction that sends your information everywhere.
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