Do you know that Facebook is the most used social networking site in India by business owners? For business purposes, Facebook can be used in both ways (paid and free (organic)). Unfortunately, it appears that the free use of Facebook does not always have the desired effect. That is why we have brought some tips that can enable you to increase your organic reach on Facebook.
Tip 1: Focus on qualitative followers and likers
You know them: The typical win-and-like actions on Facebook. Many Facebook users like or share such a message because they have a chance to win a nice goodie. As an entrepreneur, you can count on many likes with this. Nevertheless, in practice, it appears that you have little to do with this. Many likers are only interested in what you give away and are not interested in the company behind the action.
To help your company further, you must have interaction with your Facebook page likers and followers. It is therefore smart to collect as many qualitative followers and likers as possible.
It’s not just about the numbers, it’s about quality. Many likers on your Facebook page that are not really interested in your business are the same as a store full of people who do not buy anything. It looks nice, but you get nothing.
Tip 2: Post messages that ask for interaction
A second tip is to focus on posting messages that ask for a reaction or a like. You do this by, for example, asking a question in your message.
Consider: “Who would you like to share this dish with?” for a restaurant or “Who do you see driving in this car?” for a car company.
If people like you or share your message, or respond to it, they will most likely see your messages appear on their timeline (see also tip 3). In addition, their friends will see the comments and likes on your message also appear in their timeline. As a result, the Facebook messages of your company will build up a higher organic reach and you will come into contact with new (potential) customers.
Tip 3: Be aware of the algorithm of Facebook
Unfortunately, with only qualitative, shareable messages, you do not automatically build up a large organic reach on Facebook. Which message does or does not appear in a Facebook news overview, namely Facebook determines with an algorithm. This algorithm is called the EdgeRank. Three factors play a role in determining EdgeRank: Affinity, Weight and Time Interval.
Below you will find more information about these factors:
Affinity – The affinity is determined by the interaction history of a Facebook user with your page. As we already saw in tip 2, it is more likely that a user will see messages from you more often when they share, like or respond to something.
Weight – The weight of a message depends on the type of content (text, photo, video or link) in the message. On the basis of a study, it can generally be said that visual content such as photos and videos more often provides interaction than, for example, a status update. Nevertheless, the weight factor is personal: If a user interacts more often on photos, for example, Facebook will also show more photos. Entrepreneurs should try out different messages and then draw conclusions about what works best for them.
Time Decay– The time interval has to do with the time that elapses after a message have been placed. The following applies: A recent message scores better in many cases than a ‘parent’ message.
Tip 4: A message reaches 80% of the potential range after 2 hours!
Did you know that a message on Facebook already achieves 80% of its potential reach after 2 hours? So if you post a message at 1:00 pm, your message will already have 80% of its potential reach around 3:00 pm. Tip: Your time-based announcements about, for example, a shopping Sunday or an offer that lasts only for a few hours, should be best placed a few hours in advance on Facebook.
Tip 5: Post not only during office hours
In practice, it appears that many companies post almost exclusively during office hours. Yet research shows (see image below) that Facebook users are most ‘engaged’ between 3:30 PM and 11:00 PM. The probability that they like, share or respond to your message is, therefore, larger around 5:00 pm than around 1:00 pm. Therefore, it is certainly advisable to change the times at which you post.
Tip 6: Consider whether you would like or share your message yourself
When posting a message, think carefully about whether you would like the message yourself to share it if you come across it on Facebook. Is the answer ‘no’? Then your followers will probably not do this either. Consider rewriting your post in such a situation.
Do you not come out or do you doubt? Then you can of course always submit your post somewhere else. Preferably choose a group or a community that falls within the target group of your products or services.
Tip 7: People come to Facebook to be entertained
People use Facebook to keep up to date with updates from their friends, but they also use it for entertaining themselves. It is good to take this into account in your posts, especially large organizations.
Large organizations – in contrast to small businesses – often have a separate social media team or agency that devises such posts for them. Yet there are also enough moments for small business owners to be able to post original content. Think for example of holidays and current events, and also products or services you offer.
Implement these tips for improving your organic reach on Facebook. If you have something more to add, feel free to share it with others in the comment box.
