Are you struggling with social media reach and getting your content noticed on social media?
Let’s face it…
Organic social media reach and engagement for brands on social media are on the decline.
From January to June 2017, the average number of engagements with branded content on Facebook fell more than 20%, and that percentage keeps rising.
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but…
With Facebook’s constant algorithm changes, branded content is becoming harder and harder to get seen.
As a social media marketer, it is our job to deal with the challenge of getting our brands the recognition they deserve.
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4 Tips to Increase Social Media Reach
Here are 4 tips to increase organic social media reach and lift your engagement on your social channels.
1. Going Live
Going live on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to get your audience engaged.
When you go live, you are live-streaming a video to your followers, and you can respond to their questions and comments in real-time.
What better way to engage with your followers and make them feel valued?
The MOST important part about going live is to go live consistently on a set schedule.
Having a set day and time trains your audience and gets them used to your regular schedule, so they know when to expect your lives and when to show up.
A set, consistent schedule increases the number of viewers during a live by much more than promoting a random one-off live video, because your audience hasn’t been trained to expect you to go live.
Another great way to inform your followers you’re going live is to create a facebook messenger chatbot that your fans can subscribe to.
This bot will notify your followers when you’re going to go live, directly in their messaging inbox. Manychat.com lets you create Facebook Messenger bots for free, and it’s easy!
Pro-Tip:
If you don’t have the time to shoot a live video at the same time every week, you can pre-record a video and stream it as a Facebook Live.
Technology like Wirecast makes this process quick and easy, and your followers will still be just as engaged.
2. Twitter Chats
Remember Fireside Chats and the buzz they created?
A Twitter Chat is a public Twitter conversation revolving around one unique hashtag you’ve created.
It’s a super easy way for your followers to join the conversation and directly engage with you.
So how exactly do they work?
Start by creating your own unique branded hashtag, such as #AskBrandetize, to share with your audience.
People will tune in and tweet you using your unique hashtag, and you can just as easily follow the discussion.
Twitter Chats can serve as both a Live Q & A and a chance to gain feedback from your followers.
Use these tweets to see what your followers like and dislike, what they want to see, what they want to know more about, etc.
Plus, it’s a great way to make your audience feel connected to you.
To ensure the success of your Twitter Chat, they are best used when they are a recurring event set up at the same day and time (just like a Facebook Live).
3. Paid Social
But wait, paid reach is not organic reach?!
As ironic as it sounds, paid ads can increase your organic reach DRAMATICALLY.
How does this work?
To boil it down, the more people that engage with your post (organic or paid), the more Facebook shows your post to other people.
Also, with the new Facebook Algorithm change, engagement on EVERY single post affects the reach of future posts.
Therefore, the more likes, shares, and comments on a paid ad or boosted post can lead to an enhanced reach of all of your other posts and an overall increased social following.
For example, Kaboo Del Mar got 10,000% more organic engagement on a post just from boosting their posts.
Bottom line: Putting a little money behind your posts, even as low as $50, can really pay off for your brand.
4. User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC, content that has been created and distributed by unpaid fans and followers, is the FUTURE of marketing.
Just some stats…
Did you know that 91% of Americans trust their friends’ and acquaintances’ product reviews?
And surprisingly, 88% of consumers trust anonymous customer reviews.
Lastly, 70% of internet users want to learn about products through content rather than traditional advertising.
What exactly does this mean?
Consumers trust each other. UGC is authentic and honest content from people they know and relate to, so they trust it.
They perceive it as more believable than content coming directly from the brand itself.
If you want to utilize UGC, encourage your customers to post about your brand and products in the form of pictures, videos, testimonials, blog posts, and more!
For example, Butcher Box asked their customers to post about their experiences with their service by tagging them and using their unique hashtag.
They saw 132% more engagement on UGC than their other posts.
If you’re not using UGC, you’re missing out on the chance to engage with a new group of potential customers.
Social media is still a brilliant marketing tool. In this ever-changing social media environment, engagement is KEY to getting your brand noticed.
If you implement these strategies shared in this post, your engagement will rise and you’ll be well on your way to increasing your brand’s organic social media reach.
Did we miss any tips? Have you tried any of these in your business? Let us know in the comments.
