How do I increase the (organic) reach of my Facebook business page?
Organic reach. Paid reach. Post reach. What exactly does that mean again? Organic reach refers to the number of users I reach with my unpaid post. It is contrasted with paid reach, which measures the reach of an advertisement or a promoted post. In addition, there is post reach, which refers to the total number of people who have seen my post—whether paid or unpaid. Each user is only counted once.
Sounds straightforward at first. But then there is the Facebook algorithm. And this ensures that I cannot reach the total number of my followers with my post. It determines which posts users see in their Facebook feed each time they open it and in what order these posts appear. As a result, organic reach has declined in recent years and has fallen to around 5.2% for organic Facebook posts.
Optimally positioning organic posts
The Facebook algorithm prioritizes content with high engagement. The more likes and comments your posts receive, the more they are distributed. So how can engagement be encouraged? Facebook thrives on emotions: posts should, depending on the target audience, engage, entertain, inform, and communicate. This triggers interaction.
Videos and images are excellent formats for this. Proactive engagement through questions, polls, and discussions about products and services is a popular tool for generating more clicks. Trending topics show what is currently driving the community. Timing also plays a crucial role in publication. The Insights of your Facebook page show you when your followers are online. Use these time slots—this increases the likelihood that your posts will be seen. Consistency is important for building long-term engagement with your followers. A high posting frequency does not guarantee added value if the content does not resonate. Therefore: quality over quantity. Our recommendation is two to three posts per week.
More on this in our blog: "Social Media: What content should I post?"
Conclusion: More reach through the right mix
Organic content is important. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve growth with it alone. Ideally, campaigns should use a publishing mix of unpaid and paid content. Advertisements make it possible to distribute content in a targeted way to exactly those users who are most relevant for your company.
