Facebook’s Algorithm and How to Increase your Organic Reach

Have you noticed your Facebook reach and engagement has been declining? You can thank the ever changing algorithms.

Unfamiliar with algorithms? Algorithms are automated calculations that decide what content a user sees in their social media feeds. These calculations take into account what type of content they regularly engage with and show them more posts related to that content type. 

These algorithms prioritize the number and length of comments on your content, the amount of reactions on your content and how quickly those engagements are received. This is why it’s so important to be posting relevant content to your audience as well as encouraging them to engage with it.

Know Your Audience

Who are you marketing your product or service to? That is the question you should be asking yourself before you begin posting. Your contact list is a great place to start to understand who your audience is. As you begin posting, Facebook will collect information on your Fans and Followers. Regularly monitor this information to gain additional insight on your current audience.

Post Relevant Content

Knowing your audience allows you to strategize the right type of content to post. The more relevant your content is, the higher the chances it will be shown to more members of your audience. Use Post Insights to monitor which posts are your high performers and which ones are your low performers. With this data you can optimize the type of content you’re posting.

Along with posts, utilize the Stories feature. Stories are placed at the top of Facebook’s Newsfeed, giving you the opportunity to be seen the moment a user opens Facebook.

Engage Your Audience

Engagement is crucial in increasing your organic reach. The more comments, likes and shares your content gets, the larger your organic reach becomes. Encourage your audience to engage by treating your posts like a conversation. Ask them questions, share the latest news that’s relevant to them and reply to their comments as much as possible. 

Post at the Right Time

Posting your content at the optimal time also increases the chance of your posts organically reaching more people. Post time is different for everyone. The best way to find the optimal posting time for your business is in your Page Insights. Here is information on post reach, engagement, audience demographics and how you compare with other related businesses. In Posts is where you will find the data on when your audience has been the most engaged with your posts.

Boost Posts

Facebook LOVES when you give them money. Pairing your organic strategy with boosted posts or ads will improve your overall reach. Even if you don’t have a large budget, throwing $5 in to boost a post once a week can greatly boost your reach results.

Want more? Sign up for our newsletter for the latest social media news. Or, if you’re looking for some help to put these tactics into action, give us a call at 604.674.3559 or stop by our office to have a chat with our Jelly team.