The term organic reach in social media is simple. Its the users who get to see your posts without you having to pay to get their attention. Paying to get people’s attention?!?! Who would even want that kinda attention. Especially if you’re a small business.
So, In your journey to build your brand online. You will meet so many influencers. Collaborate with many of your contemporaries. And read countless books about social media marketing and self development. It is very rare that you would hear anyone suggesting that you should pay Instagram or Facebook to boost your posts. And yet so many small businesses are experimenting with it.
What’s the Difference Between Organic and Paid Reach?
Organic reach is the total number of unique people who were shown your post through unpaid distribution. Paid reach is the total number of unique people who were shown your post as a result of ads.
What Is My Organic Reach and How Do I Measure It?
Well, whatever your organic reach is, its declining significantly. The organic reach on Facebook for example went from 26% in 2011 to 1% in 2016. There is so much content posted online every minute. In fact data posted online will increase by 500% by 2020. So all these social media platform are using algorithms to monitor the news feed for the users. Which means it doesn’t matter how many people follow you. Your posts are not being seen.
To measure your reach, you would tally your following on each social network number of Twitter followers, Facebook page likes, LinkedIn followers or connections, Pinterest followers, etc. You can keep track of these stats manually or can use the analytics reports provided by each social network. Here is how to get to the main ones:
- Facebook: Facebook Insights
- Google: Google Insights
- Twitter: Twitter Analytics
- Pinterest: Pinterest Analytics
Seven Practical Ways to Increase Your Organic Reach
The reality is that people are still looking for content. Everyone wants good content. Everybody wants a good story. A lot of people would go out of their way to find your content if it’s worth their time. So here are a few ways to increase organic reach:
- Use Keywords to Drive Traffic to your Site: Keywords are not just for Twitter and Instagram. You are able to use keywords in most social media sites including Facebook.
- Get Involved in Groups and Communities Online: Make sure you’re part of social media groups in your field. Share content and seek feedback from your contemporaries.
- Comment on your Favorite Blogs: There is so much content that you read. Make sure to comment on other blogs and get noticed in a positive and informational manner.
- Word of Mouth: I know you don’t want to be that guy at the party talking about your blog. But find creative ways to market your self when the time is right.
- Cross-Promotion: This one is my favorite. It allows you to collaborate with others in your field. That’s why social media is beautiful. You are not competing anymore. You are creating value for yourself and everyone around you.
- Use Live Functions: This is pretty new and big. Twitter has Periscope. Facebook has Facebook Live. Live functions are going mainstream and all these platforms are promoting the live functions for you. You will definitely get a lot more reach using a live function.
- Ask your Followers to Turn On Notifications: Your followers can choose to be notified when you post something. I know you can do it on Instagram and Facebook. And while I have you here please turn on the notifications on my Facebook Page and Instagram. The links are below. I appreciate you.
Facebook Notifications https://www.facebook.com/hamzadaouiproductions/
Instagram Notifications https://www.instagram.com/brandnewdreams/
Final Thoughts
The fact that its a noisy world doesn’t mean we’re not looking for some fresh new sounds. I believe this is an opportunity for small businesses to have fun with social media. Its an opportunity to try to think outside the box. People will come to you. Don’t ever stop creating.
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A very interesting blog post! Thank you =)
Thank you. Your support means the world to me.
Waw ! Can’t believe that it went from 26% to 1% this year ! That’s a shocking number ! Thanks for all the suggestions !
Yes Facebook’s reach is plummeting significantly. The good news is that your reach can increase if people engage more with your content. I suggest you ask your followers questions and ask for feedback to get more engagement out of the users and you can build credibility with Facebook overtime.