Unless you’ve been living in a cave you’ll have seen lots of people twisting, scaremongering and generally being totally grumpy when it comes to Facebook Reach, Algorithms and whether the time investment on working on your Facebook Page is actually worth it.

You’ll see advice from some people to simply drop the platform all together.  This isn’t anything new.  This article dates back to February 2018 and I’m popping in to update it and amend it so we’ve seen this happening for almost 4 years.  YES, Social Media has changed exponentially in that time and, if anything, there has been increasing unrest not only about the viability of a small business spending so much time on Social Media bit also the impacts of it on mental health. 

Some experts will tell you to simply focus on Facebook Groups as they have interpreted the focus on “community” by Facebook meaning that you have to have a group, obviously there are numerous ways that you can encourage community and there’s certainly never a “one size fits all” / “the only way you’ll achieve success is this…” (you don’t have to have a Facebook Group~ only open a group if you have a business strategy behind that group).

Here Are My 6 Ways To Keep Reach High & Engagement Hot

Focus On Content 

Once upon a time all you needed was good content BUT good content alone won’t win the day.  Less is definitely more if more is shite and it’s important that you do make sure that the quality of the stuff that you are sharing is high.  This doesn’t mean procrastinate over each piece of content you put out there.  It means that you need to post with PURPOSE.  Think about “what’s the point/purpose/focus of this post.”

I find that content splits down to;

• Educating/teaching/learning based content
• Inspiration/motivation
• Behind the scenes/getting to know you
• Humour/amusement/like-hearted content
• Connection content ~ asking questions and allowing your crowd to get involved

This can also then be split down into the medium of delivery ~ are you going to do a text posts, a text based post with an image, a posts that’s predominantly about the image, video (pre-recorded content or live streaming), content that is seeking a click/certain action.

On everything but text based posts it’s also important to think about the text that you are sharing with the post.  For example ~ what would your crowd need to know in order to invest the time in reading that article, watching that video or taking time out of their day to get involved in your content.  WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM? << ask yourself this question, most people are time poor and they are prioritising getting involved in stuff that is relevant to them (tell them how you are TOTALLY relevant).

Engagement Is My Beau 

It’s super easy to get totally consumed by the REACH figures on your page and whilst reach is good because you are getting in front of more people, reach isn’t the be all and end all.  Reach without engagement is worthless.  There’s no point in getting your message in front of 100,000 if they simply aren’t listening.

Engagement is your key.

Getting people involved in your message.

Talking directly to your crowd so that they want to take the time to get involved ~ hit that “reaction” or get involved in the comments.

Here’s a little one to know though ~ asking for people to get involved and using the words “comment” or “in the comments” or “share” will have a detrimental effect on your reach because Facebook are committed to closing the door on FORCED ENGAGEMENT and want people to be genuinely engaged with you.  I know that it goes against lots that you may have been taught or your natural inclination to add in a CALL TO ACTION but this now needs to be more taught through.

Don’t Take It All So Seriously 

Don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t take your content too seriously.  Social Media is SOCIAL and it’s important that you are creating REAL connections on there.

Everything doesn’t have to be all work, work, work on your platform.

Think about ways that you can share the lighter side of life, so that you can share some giggles and that you can create some genuine connections with the people who are following you, so that they feel like they are actually getting to know you.

What’s The Strategy? 

It’s constantly evolving.   There’s no #1 thing to do and there’s no “ah, I’ve cracked this now, time for tea & medals.” Your content and strategy must be in constant evolution mode.

I am constantly asking myself questions and looking at what I can learn from what’s working and what I am seeing in my timeline.

YES ~ look at your stats, it’s an absolute MUST because you will learn what’s working right now, what you can more of and what you can test within that strategy.  You can look at what further “versions of that” look like for you.

Be proactive ALWAYS.

I’m There 

Really & energetically.  I’m invested in what I post.  I speak to my crowd and I am there to chat back with them if they connect and get involved in my posts.

I don’t “set and forget” my Facebook Posts and to me, that energy within my page is magnified and powerful as a result of me being there.

If people take the time & effort to talk to you then it’s important that you are prepared to talk back to them.

Be Relevant, Be Consistent, Be Open, Be Honest 

There’s so much information out there, there’s so much shit that hits your crowds’ timelines, Facebook has become increasingly noisy over the years and it’s for that reason that the algorithms have had to change.

Relevance ~ what does your crowd need to hear from you?  What do they need help and support with?  Make sure you are dealing with issues of importance, significance and that may well be timely/newsworthy.

Consistent ~ it’s not ok to be inconsistent #fact.  You have to get a level of consistency rolling.  That DOESN’T mean you have to post every hour but you have to ask yourself the question “what does being consistent look like for me in my business.”  Consistency helps people to start to recognise you and also begin to expect you ~ it’s exactly why TV programmes air on the same day, at the same time each week.  Consistency isn’t just about frequency.  It’s about a consistent message, it’s about a look & feel, it’s about a vibe.  Regularity is only part of the mix.  

Open & Honest ~ you don’t need everything to be shrouded in BULLSHIT #justsaying

Happy Facebooking