Has your organic Facebook reach plummeted in the past six months? Don’t be too alarmed. It’s happening to everybody. And you can expect that in the following months, your reach will continuously decline to approach a measly 1-2%.
Over the recent past, many brands and page administrators have expressed their displeased reactions to the implementation of the changes. Their kneejerk response to the decrease in organic reach lies in the thought that Facebook is forcing companies to pay for sufficient organic reach. What is the truth behind this argument? What is really happening?
What’s happening to Facebook?
Facebook has recently made changes to the algorithm of its News Feed to accommodate more relevant and timely content. But because the News Feed can only allow limited posts, some posts may be buried beneath others which is why some portion of a brand’s Facebook fans don’t get to see posts that aren’t supported by ad spend.
What’s the reason behind the big dip?
1. News Feed Traffic
With an increasing number of users becoming ‘fans’ of more and more pages atop a big inflow of brands, competition is even tougher for News Feed space. This creates a sort of informational traffic jam as the News feed is only capable of displaying limited posts.
2. Promoted / paid posts are drowning some organic and viral reach
In order for brands to boost content, Facebook created an option for Promoted posts. Promoted posts as well as new users and brands are given ample display priority in the News Feed.
3. While average reach is declining, total reach is on a rise
Average reach is declining because more brands are publishing more posts, creating more traffic. On the other hand, the summation of organic post reach has slightly increased as brands are publishing content more frequently of which some content is shared more than others.
Is Facebook still worth investing in?
We say, YES. While organic reach is getting even harder to achieve, the value of Facebook fans are still irrevocably incremental.
Facebook is still the most potent social media platform in driving engagement. While paid / promoted ads will have a head start in reaching more people, users will still be able to see your brand’s posts in their News Feed especially if the content is shareable, engaging and interesting enough.
The challenge in this adversity is to create high-quality content that really connects.
What should a brand do to maximize organic reach in Facebook?
1. Know when your audience is online
Publish your content during the peak hours when more of your fans are online.
2. Create engaging content
It pays to produce content that focuses on trends and news that are relevant to the users as Facebook filters posts according to what the users really want to see.
3. Post more frequently
Everyday, a chunk of your fans will be on Facebook. If you post just once a day, your content will only reach those who were online within an approximate one to two hour window. So to increase the number of your fans who are online in time to see your post, publish your content multiple times a day.
If your brand’s Facebook organic reach is dwindling but you want to stay on top of the game and still reach your fans, we can help you maximise your online efforts. Talk to us!