During the last year, Facebook’s algorithm updates have been causing a decline in the organic reach of business page posts. In March, it seemed like organic reach on the platform was close to disappearing.
So, how can you overcome this challenge? In this article, I will share 13 strategies to outsmart the Facebook algorithm and revive your fan engagement! NEW: 5 Tips to Beat the Facebook Newsfeed Algorithm
1. Provide Excellent Content
The well-known saying still holds true – high-quality content reigns supreme. (Apologies for the cliché, Elisa.) Posting remarkable content increases your chances of receiving likes and shares, ultimately boosting your visibility in Facebook news feeds. Facebook’s algorithm adjustments often aim to eliminate content deemed “low quality,” such as memes. For wider reach, prioritize sharing valuable content from reputable news sources. While it’s a bit presumptuous of Facebook to assume that CNN articles are always sophisticated and memes are always trivial, we have little control over their algorithm adjustments. My advice? Focus on producing your own original, high-quality content like e-books, blog articles, white papers, and so on.
2. Utilize Facebook Ads
With organic reach dwindling, now is an opportune time to explore Facebook advertising. Facebook has simplified its ad system, making it more user-friendly than ever. Paid Facebook ads can appear directly in users’ newsfeeds, seamlessly integrating with organic posts while offering better reach. They have also introduced an ad relevance score, essentially a Quality Score for Facebook. Experiment with them and monitor their performance. Facebook ads are particularly beneficial for businesses in competitive creative industries like craft marketing.
3. Expand to Other Social Media Platforms
Integrate your Facebook marketing efforts with other social networks – pin posts, tweet, and so forth. Facebook has become increasingly crowded, with organic space steadily diminishing. Competition is fierce, and it’s easy for your content to get lost in users’ news feeds. Venture into newer social media platforms like Instagram, Vine, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Google+ to explore fresh opportunities. Don’t solely rely on Facebook.
4. Embrace a Personal Touch
Posts from personal accounts often appear more frequently in news feeds compared to business page posts, so why not leverage your employees? Most of them likely use Facebook, so encourage them to like and share your company’s content. All’s fair in the battle for Facebook visibility.
5. Import Your Contacts
If you have an extensive email list, you can import your contacts (up to 5,000 at a time) and invite them to like your Facebook page. Having a larger number of Facebook friends means that your content will reach a wider audience, even with reduced organic reach percentages. The more, the merrier.
6. Post More Frequently
Increase your chances of appearing in news feeds by simply posting more often. Tip the odds in your favor! Posting 4-6 times a day increases the likelihood of at least one of your posts gaining traction.
7. Offer Exclusive Content
Maximize the impact of your Facebook posts by sharing unique content that users won’t find elsewhere. Promote flash sales, special discounts, contests, and similar exclusive offers.
8. Analyze Your Data
Since organic Facebook marketing has become significantly more challenging, it’s crucial to pay close attention to your analytics. You don’t need anything overly complex – Facebook’s built-in analytics can reveal which posts resonate better than others. Identify the type of content that generates the most engagement from your followers. Do they respond well to videos? Which articles are they clicking on? What topics spark their interest? Look for patterns and replicate successful strategies.
9. Embrace Multimedia
Don’t limit yourself to text-based posts. Image and video posts generally perform far better than text-only posts. Share YouTube videos, Pinterest pins, and Instagram photos on Facebook.
Considering Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, it’s plausible that they might be prioritizing Instagram photos over other types of content. While there’s no official confirmation, it wouldn’t hurt to increase your Instagram posts just in case.
10. Utilize User-Generated Content
If your Facebook presence isn’t making a significant impact lately, at least make the attention you do receive count. Leverage Facebook as a platform for user-generated content by organizing photo contests, video contests, and similar initiatives. You may not receive as many entries as you would have during Facebook’s peak, but the user-generated content you do acquire is invaluable. User-generated content can be repurposed and incorporated into blog posts, testimonials, and other marketing materials.
Here’s some impressive UGC from Starbucks
11. Engage with Your Facebook Audience
Foster fan engagement by asking questions and encouraging them to respond. Experiment with caption contests, fill-in-the-blank posts, and other interactive content that encourages participation. In turn, it’s essential to reciprocate by addressing their queries, responding to their comments, and interacting with fans whenever possible.
Visa takes the time to respond to even the most ordinary comments from Facebook users
12. Revamp Your Page
Maximize the impact on fans who interact with your Facebook page by utilizing a captivating cover image. Consider using the Facebook cover photo as a call to action.
13. Network with Other Community Managers
Before we proceed, a quick disclaimer – this final suggestion might be considered a “gray hat” tactic, but it can be very effective if implemented thoughtfully. To enhance the visibility of your business pages, reach out and build relationships with one or two other community managers in related industries and agree to engage with each other’s content. Alternatively, if you’re not comfortable with that approach, ask your employees to like one update per week – the increased post engagement will improve visibility.