With the appearance of the Promote button and the new Reach information being so easy to see on past posts, I've been doing some research into how to improve the reach of my page without paying Facebook to do it. I thought I'd share some tips with you!
Tip 1 – Some post
types carry more weight
Did you realise
that Facebook puts more weight on posts with photos attached than links or
text-only updates? Simply by adding a photo to a post, I will give it a better
chance of appearing in my fans' newsfeeds than if I had just written the same
text on its own.
Tip 2 – Be clever
about posting links
Posting a link
is the least likely post type to appear in your fans' newsfeeds. Instead of posting
a link to a photo, event entry or website, upload a relevant photo and post the
link within the photo post text.Example :- I want to post a link to an event in my Event tab. Instead of pasting the link straight in to my status box, I upload a photo for the event and add the link within the text of the post >> “Find details of my forthcoming exhibition here: http://www.facebook.com/events/339757916097002/”
Tip 3 –Encourage your fans to do more than ‘like’
I'm sure everyone already knows this one but a post that demands more than a 'like' will increase its reach. Comments rank higher than likes so by asking your fans a question every now and then will encourage them to comment and help ensure your updates continue to appear in their newsfeeds. Don't overdo it though - else people will tire of the same old format and stop responding.
Tip 4 – Mix it
up
Variety is the
spice of life and the key to ensuring your business updates reach more fans.
You can post photos, videos, polls, links as well as straightforward text
updates so be creative and vary your medium. Be aware that if you post the same link multiple times in a short timeframe (perhaps to a competition on your blog or to an item in your Etsy Shop), your later posts will be less likely to appear in your fans' newsfeed (even if the accompanying text is different). The same is true for photos.
Tip 5 – It’s all
in the timing
You can use the
new Reach stats on previous posts to help you identify when is the best time to
post to your page as well as how often. The frequency and timing of posts can
have a big impact on how many fans get your fascinating updates and interact
with your page ;-)On the subject of frequency, you should distinguish between Twitter and Facebook and keep your updates to when you have something useful and engaging to say. It's a fine line between being informative and spamming.
I've also already worked out that early evening (6pm to 9pm BST) seems to be a great time to post. In the UK, people have finished the day job and are logging on to Facebook for the first time that day whilst in Australasia, my fans are finishing up breakfast and checking FB before work. According to my stats, I also have another good posting window early afternoon (probably when users in the States log on) so just by timing my posts I can give them a better chance of being seen.
These are the tips I’ve picked up through reading on the internet. I’d love to hear of any others that people have found. Analysts estimate that most Facebook business pages reach, on average, 17% of their fan base with their page content.
I hope that some of these tips will help you improve your reach without paying for the privilege!
Thanks Helen. I have been doing similar research and come to the same conclusions except I hadn't worked out to post a link cunningly disguised as a photo, I like that idea :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic post, will definitely be putting these tips into play. Do you know you can now schedule your posts for future dates? Could help on the days where you may not be able to get to the pc at the best times, Sally xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Sally. No I wasn't aware of the scheduling facility. Will definitely look into it although it will require me to be a bit more organised than I am at present!
ReplyDelete