If you have a business page on Facebook or Instagram, it is very likely that you have seen quite a decrease in engagement of late. No, it’s not only you. Organic reach for business pages is going down.
Why is this happening?!
Facebook updated its algorithm to show its users mainly friends and family, and pages that are relevant (and a bunch of ads of course). This is because they want to increase the amount of time users spend on the platform, and relevant, engaging content does just that. In fact, most social media platforms work in this way. They provide relevant content to each person to increase the time spent on their platform. Have you ever gone on YouTube to watch one video and lost hours of the day without realising it? This is done on purpose.
The longer you stay on that platform, the more ads can be shown to you. We do not pay to use social media, which means we are not the customers. Advertisers are. So Facebook tries its best to keep you on its pages so that advertisers pay for your attention, and YouTube is no different.
What does this have to do with me?
As a business, this may seem irrelevant to you. It’s not. What you have to realise is that unless your content speaks to and connects with your target audience and gets them to engage with you, it will not appear on their timelines. Organically, that is.
Facebook, YouTube, Google…they’re all businesses too. Their goal is to make money and since they are free for users, advertising pays their bills. So it makes sense that they have made it difficult for businesses to reach people organically. This pushes businesses to put money into their social media and boost their posts.
Luckily, you don’t pay for nothing. Facebook has very specific targeting options to ensure that your posts are shown to exactly the right people. And since Facebook owns Instagram, targeting is available there too. It is possible for ads on any platform.
However, paying does not mean that you can push out content that is not of good quality. Paid posts can do badly if they are not thought out and designed to be visually pleasing. Make sure to use engaging copy and eye-catching visuals to grab people’s attention and avoid getting scrolled past.
In conclusion
Due to organic reach decreasing, paid content is something businesses should consider for their social media strategy. Start by combining organic and paid, and adjust as needed as you go forward.
Contact us and we will happily manage your social media and build a new strategy for you to get the engagement you and your business deserve!
