One of the number one complaints I hear from bloggers: Why is my Facebook Reach so low? Is it even worth it to have a Facebook page if none of my followers see the post? I will always have a Facebook page for my blog. I've talked about Why You Need A Facebook Page For Your Blog, but I wanted to get into the reasons why your reach might be low, and how to change it, right now.
Key metrics about Facebook and Facebook pages
First, imagine your Facebook page. You might be friends with hundreds, even thousands of people, you like many pages: companies, musicians, other blogs, Etsy shops, boutiques, etc. Facebook can only show you so much every time you log in. They can't possibly show you all of the status updates, photos, videos, and ads that everyone has to offer. So they have an algorithm. They curate your newsfeed based on your actions: what you like, who you interact with, and therefore, will show you that first.
I could like your Facebook page, or follow your Facebook Business Page, but if I never like any of your status updates I might never see anything else if I don't interact. I could follow your boutique, but because your reach is smaller, I might not see your new item you posted because Facebook can't show me everything in my newsfeed.
Basically, it kind of sucks. But in a way it's understandable. When you create a Facebook page for your blog or business it can be disheartening to see the low numbers of people actually viewing your posts, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't post to Facebook.
Facebook Myths, Debunked
People worry that posting through third-party scheduling tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite can hurt your reach. Wrong. That's not true. You just want to make sure your post doesn't look scheduled. Meaning, it needs to look authentic, like anything you post on your Facebook page.
Facebook photos don't always get the most engagement. They can help catch your follower's eye, but it doesn't necessarily equal engagement. Interesting, compelling content wins every time.
Don't Be Sales-y
Facebook does not like promotional crap. Click here, 10 minutes left, sale ends soon, don't miss out, join in on the action, Get it NOW…. nope. Facebook doesn't like anything that is click-bait- meaning you're telling people to click something.
Don't post overly promotional content. Again, be authentic. Explain why I should click here, but don't tell me.
Okay, now let's talk about the real deal, promoted posts and Facebook ads. I'm a big believer in these, but, you have to do these correctly.
Why should I pay to have people see my posts?
Fact is, organic reach has decreased on Facebook. To be seen in your community's newsfeed, sometimes you need to spend some money. It can be worth it. You don't need to do it all the time, but a boost or ad every now and then can really do wonders. Promote only important posts. I know that's vague, but posts that are really important to you. For instance, I promoted this post this month.
Promoted Posts Vs Facebook Ads
Promoted Facebook posts are just when you want a boost. You want your followers to see it. This is something I'll do, maybe once a month, and for a small dollar amount, $5 at most. You can boost this in three ways: people who like your page, people who like your page and their friends, people you choose through targeting.
For beginners, I recommend doing the first two. Once you play around with this, then move onto targeting. Targeting can refer to people with certain interests, age, gender and so much more. Targeting is more technical, but generally, very effective.
Facebook ads are even more technical. Think of them as display ads like you see on other websites, but only for Facebook. I use Facebook Ads through Facebook's Power Editor. Here, you have complete control. You can target literally everything, have a call-to-action button, change out the image and a “vanity” website link. Meaning I can link to heleneinbetween.com instead of the full: https://heleneinbetween.com/2015/09/free-blogging-webinar-get-noticed-now.html
Here's a look at a current ad I have running:
You can also place these ads strategically: newsfeed, sidebar ads, etc. Your spend here can go up very very quickly, generally, you spend money over a variety of ads over a number of days. As for a boost, it's usually a set dollar amount in a quick time frame.
You can monitor all of this in the Facebook ads manager. It's not necessary to spend money to get reach on Facebook but it does help, significantly.
There is really so much to Facebook and I'll discuss even more in how you can get noticed online in my FREE webinar: Get Noticed Now! Tomorrow. If you haven't yet, sign up!
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