Have you ever noticed that when you get together with your friends and family they aren’t necessarily fully informed on all the details that you’ve shared on Facebook? Have you ever gotten the “well, you should know, I posted it on Facebook,” (insert sad-face from a distant friend you’re finally catching up with face-to-face)?
There are a few things happening here:
1) not everyone is always paying attention to you and
2) even if they want to pay attention to you, Facebook has made it so that they may or may not even see all of your posts.
And businesses, just because you’ve got a thousand likes on your page, don’t think this doesn’t apply to you too.
What Facebook reach refers to is the number of people who saw your post. If you’re monitoring your business page insights, you’ll notice that your reach isn’t equal to the number of people following your page. Here’s why:
You’ve been hidden
We’re living in an age of digital overload. Yes this obviously applies to our Facebook news feeds too. The “hide posts” option can be a Facebook user’s best friend; don’t assume it hasn’t been used on you or your business. And this is only part of why Facebook followers do not equal reach.
Facebook algorithm reduced your reach
Algorithm? So THIS Is why we were supposed to pay attention in math class. Let me make it simple for you. Facebook created a formula to filter posts out of news streams based on how the user interacts with posts. This is Facebook being considerate of their users’ digital overload.
There are four criteria Facebook looks at when deciding if your post will show up in a fan’s news feed:
- Have they interacted with you in the past
- Are others who have seen your post ignoring it
- Do they have a history of liking that type of post
- Has someone complained about the post
Basically, if your fans have a history of liking your content and no one else has complained about it, then, maybe your post will reach their news feed.
Are you starting to understand why engaging followers is more important than collecting them?
Quality trumps quantity
Sure it’s exciting to think about your business page reaching 2,000 likes. It’s hard to ignore the endorphin rush you feel as your followers inch upwards and upwards, and that’s fair. Just don’t put too much stock in it. Social media is a quality trumps quantity game.
Your content needs to be engaging followers in conversation. When your followers engage: like, comment, share, you increase your reach through their help and by beating the Facebook algorithm filter.
When the numbers do matter
On a Facebook business page, you need to reach 30 followers before you will get page “insights.” Insights give you information about your audience, who they are, what content they are most engaged with, and your reach.
Insights are valuable in helping businesses figure out what type of content is working best and when to post it; and that’s how you increase reach. So, those first 30 followers are important for the numbers they add. After that, quantity isn’t the first thing you need to be concerned about.
Apples aren’t oranges and collecting Facebook likes doesn’t equal better reach. Better reach equals better reach. Your business can get it by listening to your fans, no matter how many you have, and posting creative and engaging content consistently. The more interaction you get, the better your reach will be with existing followers, and the more likely it is to grow organically when your followers’ networks see them engaging with you.
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