Facebook admits it. Fans are seeing fewer posts. They do have good reason for this; Facebook wants to maintain the quality of the Newsfeed (which personally I think most of us want too).
In 2012, I mentioned that fans were seeing fewer posts. Studies of 4,000 Facebook Pages showed that only 17% of fans saw any given post, but now that has dropped quite a bit.
The easiest way to see how many fans see a post is to look in the bottom left corner of the post.
Now, if you’re spending time and energy on Facebook marketing you want to show up in Newsfeeds. This is where 90% of people will see your post and it’s where they can engage with your brand.
There are a few solutions to help you through this dilemma.
1. Focus on Engagement: The number of people who see your post is tied to the number of people who like, comment and share a particular post. The more likes, comments and shares you get equates to more visibility for that post. These are tips that work to increase engagement:
- Ask Questions.
- Use Call to Actions.
- Use Personal Language.
- Post Quality Images & Photos.
- Open Discussions.
2. Pay for Ads: Even without a massive budget, strategically placing Facebook Ads can be very valuable. The first step is to always start with a goal. What exactly do you want the ad to do? When you log into Facebook’s Ad Manager you’ll select the result you want to get: Page Post Engagement, Page Likes and Clicks to Website are the most commonly used.
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Increase Likes. This format is simple. Facebook shows your cover image in the Newsfeed and has a Like button in the top right. It’s very simple and effective for growing your page more quickly and a story will be created and visible to friends of your new fan. This is a perfect example of cover image from Make My Notebook highlighting their brand and products.
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Send Traffic to a Sales Page. One thing that is important is Facebook Marketing is knowing how your efforts are impacting sales. Setting up an ad to increase traffic to your sales page is a perfect way to make more sales. The other strategy for this is to send traffic to an opt in page so that you can capture an email address for continued marketing. Sofa.com used this strategy brilliantly by offering Free Fabric Samples through a Facebook Ad campaign.
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Get More Engagement. When you have a great post that you just want more people to get involved with (i.e. Like, Comment or Share), this is a great option. Optimize the ad to get more engagement. Facebook will handle this for you behind the scenes and you’ll see a massive boost with a little spend.
In the spirit of community, shall we do this together? Post something on Facebook (either a great post geared toward engagement or an ad). Then, leave the link here so we can take a look!
Warm wishes,
Katrina
Katrina Padron | Padron Social Marketing
I’ve been really aware of this recently and have made an effort to share more posts asking people their opinion – these get a lot more engagement. Simple “which is your favourite?” or a voting option (once did this for deciding on colours for a new product range and it was one of my furthest reaching posts). Here’s a recent one: https://www.facebook.com/bottledtreasures/photos/a.233032040078479.52783.226687137379636/629896157058730/?type=1&theater
Exactly, you’re on the right track! Keep it up!
I love this! I have been working for months on building engagement on Facebook, so I feel like this change effected me less than other people – since I was conversing daily with my fans before the change, my numbers have not been effected too terribly much. Here is one of my recent photos I posted, but did not pay to boost. It reached over 30% of my fans so far and is still getting comments/likes since yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/monstors/photos/a.126322250774752.24361.125370560869921/602663673140605/?type=1&stream_ref=10
That’s so fantastic! Engagement does pay off, doesn’t it! Congrats to you!
Great tips! I’ve been looking for ways to boost engagement on FB.
Thank you!
Thanks for this post. Marketing my page has always been at the back of my mind, but I’ve never given it serious thought since I don’t know how to …anyway, if your suggestion(s) will shed some light into my corner of a page, I’d love to give it a try too.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=647156048674883&set=a.571494612907694.1073741825.440464832677340&type=1&theater
Such a cute illustration! Best wishes to you!
Thanks but if you were just replying to the image, then the post i wanted feedback on didn’t display?
I definitely find that engaging fans with questions on a more personal level leads to more people seeing posts, liking, commenting, etc. I just posted a picture of a few items I made to match a new collection recently released by a popular clothing company. I’ve asked my fans what their favorite pieces are from the collection and hope that will generate interaction. I will also share the post in a private FB group dedicated to boutique style clothing since the group members are in my target market.
https://www.facebook.com/WeildHair/photos/a.410753455708005.1073741830.313170275466324/534199716696711/?type=1&stream_ref=10
Great job!
I am still working my way to understanding how to best maximize my time and results on Facebook. This is a great article on honing in on some doable actions. I’ll definitely give them a try. Is there a desired ratio of “likers” to “people talking about this” which is considered a sweet spot or goal to aim for? https://www.facebook.com/MarvelousMiddle/photos/a.142347379186167.37903.118778368209735/587129131374654/?type=1&theater
Hi Rhonda – a good rule of thumb for that is to strive for 10% of people talking about this. Good luck!
Great article. https://www.facebook.com/whitcombmanor
Great post and good tips! Thanks SO much for sharing! I’ve been having no luck with my facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/IdyllwildDesigns Am I doing something wrong?
Great tips! Thanks, love!
I have a couple of pages, both with very little engagement :o( This is the newest one: https://www.facebook.com/somethingspecialbear. Would love some new likes :o)
Tania
https://www.facebook.com/sarahssilks
What I am trying for is to get more people sharing my posts.
I am trying different contests, call for photos of our products being used, art work by kids…to try to get more involvement. Without paying to “boost post” I get very little engagement.
Thanks for the awesome tips! I haven’t spent time learning about the Facebook Ad Management page so I’ll be sure to check that out.
This particular post doesn’t ask a question, but I wanted viewers to look up the verse on their own…
https://www.facebook.com/209897742541635/photos/a.209899439208132.1073741828.209897742541635/212070262324383/?type=1&theater
Great article by the way…making a business page takes a lot of trial and error, tweaking of posts, but it’s a lot of fun!
Thank you for the info… really trying to get more viewers… https://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-Builders-Ministries-Inc/131958263541906?hc_location=timeline
Great article! I have even heard that those without businesses are paying to boost posts just so their friends see it. I have also noticed that facebook don’t allow the sharing of posts or pages to be a requirement of a giveaway or contest. (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/new-facebook-contest-and-promotion-rules/) People still do it but apparently it can lead to the blocking of the page. I guess this is again so that you use and pay for facebook ads etc instead. Clever ole’ facebook!!
https://www.facebook.com/EllaGoodwinIllustration
Valuable information! Just when I thought I had it all “figured out” as far as what time of day posts were most viewed on my page, it slumped, big time. I am all for quality in my newsfeed, but I do like to know great places to shop too without spending a ton in advertising. I will continue to try to engage my readers, sadly free giveaways seem to be one of the best methods, but then I am not much better off than paying to promote!
Feel free to stop by, “like” my page and say hello.
https://www.facebook.com/XOJessica.stitchedwithlove
XO, J –