17 Jun 10 Ways To Increase Your Brand’s Social Media Reach

The last year has brought many changes to social media. Few changes were as hard-hitting for communicators as the decline in organic reach on social media. Last summer Facebook transparently told businesses that promotional posts would be less likely to show on fan newsfeeds, and in fall, they shared that reach will decline even further in January 2015. Twitter similarly shared that users would begin to see content from accounts they do not follow, which could make it more difficult for brands to rise above the noise. The days of posting and reaching all of your fans are gone.

What can you do to ensure fans of your brand see more of your social media content?

1. Hone your content. Take a look at your statistics and determine what content types and subjects resonate with your audience. Focus on this content as you create new material.
2. Promote, but don’t over promote. As a general rule, 40% of your content should be promotional, and 60% should be engaging. Look at your data to determine the right mix for your brand. Click to Tweet!
3. Include a call to action with every post. Since social media relies on likes, comments, shares and re-tweets to increase the reach of your message beyond the few organic views, include calls to action to move your content forward. If you don’t tell fans what to do when they read your content, they will be less likely to take an action. Click to Tweet!
4. Post more. Creating a post, and sharing it once an hour is a good way to increase your organic reach. You may lose some followers, but you’ll likely get more clicks and engagement. Pick your poison.
5. Use more images. Facebook posts with photos have an 87% higher engagement rate than those without images. Adding a photo to your Tweet can increase re-tweets by 35%. (eMarketer) Click to Tweet!
6. Engage with your fans. Don’t just post content on social networks; provide customer service. Customers expect responses to social media inquiries in 60 minutes or less. Click to Tweet! Beyond customer service, engage with fans to show appreciation and build affinity.
7. Deliver on your headlines. Facebook has cracked down on delivering content with headlines that don’t deliver on their promise. If users click on a link and quickly leave, Facebook is less likely to serve that content to others.
8. Pay for ads. If you want to get your content in front of as many fans as possible, especially on Facebook, you need to pay for ads. You don’t have to dedicate a huge budget. Experiment with ad types and target audiences to find out what works for your brand.
9. Change your focus. If certain social networks aren’t working for your brand, change your strategy. Many marketers are shifting their focus away from Facebook, and toward email marketing, for example. Did you know that email marketing is said to have a 4,300% ROI? (KissMetrics)
10. Focus on your owned media. You may have a social media fan base, but don’t forget that social networks are third party platforms and, as a result, your social media audiences are rented, not owned. Always move your fans to your owned properties like you website or blog. If you want more Facebook or Twitter followers, consider embedding your most important social media posts on your website or blog for increased visibility.

Learn how BRG can help you reach your social media goals. Contact us today.