If your business uses social media as an advertising tool, particularly Facebook, you’ve probably noticed that the organic reach of your posts has dropped dramatically over the last year. Just a few years ago, you could expect that fans of your page would see 60 – 70 percent of your Facebook content through organic reach. That number is now averaging 5 – 15 percent. Unless you want to pay to promote your content, you can expect these kinds of numbers to stick around.
These changes are prompting a lot of businesses to re-evaluate the goals and objectives of their social media strategy. Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself:
Are you maximizing your reach?
If only a limited amount of your organic content is being seen, quality in every post is essential. Post content that users will want to share. This is a great way to maximize the number of people you reach without paying for it. Shares are the best form of advertisement on social media because they come from a real person who’s had a real experience with your brand. It’s authentic. People love that.
Are you posting relevant content?
Make sure you are posting content and articles that your customers can connect to. Are your posts timely and relevant? Do they inform and educate your customer? Those are the kinds of posts that drive shares and likes on social media.
Are you engaging your customers and building a community?
People are not coming to social media to make purchases. They’re using it as a connection tool. This is a prime opportunity to connect with your customers and build a community. If people feel like they are part of a community, they will be more likely to return.
Be smart about pay-to-promote.
If you are going to pay to promote a post, make it worth it. Use content that captures email addresses or invites your customers to an event. This allows you to engage with your customer outside of social media.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/business/news/News-Feed-FYI-Showing-More-High-Quality-Content
http://www.thesmallbusinessplaybook.com/facebook-advertising-work-small-business/
http://adage.com/article/digital/brands-organic-facebook-reach-crashed-october/292004/