Get More Out of Your Facebook Business Page Than Just “Likes”, Improve Reach
“Should I be on Facebook?” As a small business owner trying to make a name for yourself, it’s a no brainer, right? Of course you should. So you set up your Page and start posting. But oddly enough, not much is happening. You get a few “likes” here and there, but not the big numbers you expected. Frustrated, you abandon it.
Unfortunately, this is the life cycle of the efforts many small business owners face when attempting to launch a Facebook business Page. And while it’s easy to set it up, maintaining the Page is difficult, and growing a significant presence on it may seem impossible.
But be encouraged. It’s not just you, and it’s not just the quality of what you’re posting – although it should be good. Truth be told, the Newsfeed, the place where you read all those updates, is crowded and highly competitive. Facebook has 1.35 billion (with a b) monthly active users so it’s hard to get through the clutter.
And due to recent changes at Facebook, organic reach has plummeted.
What is organic reach?
Organic reach is the number of people you can reach for free on Facebook just by posting to your Page. The opposite of that is paid reach – ads you pay for – that show up in the newsfeeds of those you target.
And if shrinking organic reach wasn’t enough, then there’s the matter of engagement.
Engagement?
No gold bands required here. This engagement refers to interactions between your content and its intended audience. While you and I may muster up a group of willing souls to like our Page, just as beauty without intelligence is tedious, so is “likes” without the benefit of engagement.
Engagement signifies that what’s being posted was compelling enough to motivate someone to take action – to give a thumbs up or leave a comment.
Can you save your Page?
Sure. But realize that not every social media platform is right for every business, even if that platform has a billion users. There are a few things you need to do, such as:
1. Figure out if your audience is using Facebook to solve a problem they’re having. If they’re only on Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends, the chances of you pulling them away from pictures of nieces and nephews are slim.
2. Understand why you want to be on Facebook. Is it peer pressure or purpose? Are you using it to display your knowledge of your industry and humanize your brand or are you just following the crowd?
3. Have a content strategy. Spontaneity is liberating, but so is having a plan. Using a social media management system like Hootsuite or Buffer App, or using the scheduling option in Facebook, to post content of value to the reader can take the pressure off and add some rhyme to your reason. Follow the 80/20 rule, with self-promotions being the latter of the two.
4. Promote your page, boost posts. If you’re willing to spend a little cash on ads or boosted posts, set a budget. More eyeballs don’t guarantee more engagement, so be smart.
5. Pay attention to the numbers. If you have at least 30 Page likes, you’ve now got access to Facebook Insights, where you can track how people are engaging with your Page. From the results of your ad campaigns down to the times of day your audience is on Facebook, these details will help you optimize your strategy.
