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Losing Facebook Traffic? There’s a Reason.

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Most small businesses and nonprofits are using Facebook as part of their social media marketing strategy. They undertake various steps to increase the number of followers they have as a way to spread their message. Facebook business pages have been a key part of that process, but over the years changes to Facebook’s algorithm have made that less effective. And they have just done it again.

Many social media managers in my circle are complaining that suddenly they are seeing a big drop in the number of likes, shares, andphoto illustrating concept of Facebook business marketing comments on their posts. Here is what you need to know about the change.

Before the most recent change, you could reliably count on around 10% of your followers to be served one of your posts. To increase that amount, you needed to either pay for a boost or get a lot of likes and shares – or both. With the latest round of changes, that number has dropped dramatically. Now, only about 2% of your followers will see your posts.

Who Sees Your Facebook Posts?

Your business page posts generally will be served to those who have consistently engaged with your content and/or have selected you as one of the posts they want to see first. The new algorithm reflects Facebook’s desire to have users interact with friends and see valuable and engaging content. As a result, some kinds of content are considered less desirable than before (at least as far as Facebook is concerned). This means you should avoid posts that link “outside” of Facebook – they don’t want anyone leaving their site! So linking back to your website is going to hurt your chances of your post being viewed. Unless, of course, you are buying an ad, and then you will have the option of adding a button to further engage your audience.

What does this mean for your brand? Just as with your website, the quality of your content is more important than ever before. Finding what engages your audience is critical and you can do that by looking at your Facebook Insights. The more organic involvement you have with a post (likes, shares, and comments), the better. Facebook will judge the quality of your content using those engagements. If they are robust, then Facebook will share your post with more followers. Facebook will show your posts to others in an ever-widening circle driven by the amount of engagement. 

The Bottom Line on Facebook Business Page Changes

Bottom line: engagement counts more than ever. Be sure to remind your employees, board members, clients, etc. to like, share and comment on your posts. This is free advertising for you that also helps you meet your marketing goals. We’ll look at how boosts and ads connect to these changes in future blog posts.

Bonus Help

I like this video because it gives a good overview of how the Facebook algorithm works as well as some good suggestions to help more people see your posts.

Tips For Using Twitter

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In my last post, I gave you information about who uses Twitter, and why. Today, I want to share some tips with you about using Twitter for your business or nonprofit. With nearly 500 million tweets every day, it is certainly an important part of the social media mix. Try these ideas to improve your time on Twitter.

  • Videos get more engagement, so add them as much as possible. Keep them brief.
  • You can upload up to 4 photos for each tweet. Photos also improve engagement.
  • You can search on Twitter for hashtags, profiles, etc., to help you find posts to retweet or discover topics your followers care about.
  • Limit your tweet to 1 – 2 hashtags. Instead of adding more, write additional tweets that are connected to those hashtags.
  • Use your own voice – keep it personal and make sure it sounds like you.
  • Keep an eye on what’s trending for relevant content.
  • For longer content, use a Tweet Thread (good how-to here).
  • Follow others to encourage more followers. This is a tried-and-true method to build followers and it costs nothing.
  • Monitor and reply to comments asap.
  • Ask questions or run polls, do things to encourage engagement.
  • Follow back anyone who follows you or likes a tweet.
  • Keep an eye on your analytics for the best days, times and topics to use in the future.
  • Check “Who to Follow” on your profile for suggestions and follow any that match your target audience – or who are followed by your target audience.
  • If you want to spend money to promote tweets, choose those with the most engagement.

Tips For Twitter Content

So what do you tweet about? Here are some ideas you can use to generate engagement:

  • Tip of the Week
  • Tweet out a video of the week
  • #MondayMotivation 
  • Use your humor – GIFs are a good way to do that, but cartoons & jokes work, too
  • Statistics, new findings in surveys related to your business, and new products or services you offer.
  • Retweet something valuable to your audience with a comment about what you liked about the tweet.

Need help with your social media? Contact Deppe Communications.

What Are You Doing To Prepare For a Post-COVID Recovery?

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5 Ways To Plan for a Post-Pandemic World

The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on small businesses and nonprofits has been severe. Many have not survived, while others continue to struggle with a reduced business flow, loss of income and uncertainty about the future. At six months in, many small business owners are finding they have more time on their hands. But it may be a good time to review your marketing. Here are a few ideas about things you can do to prepare for the post-COVID recovery – whenever it may occur.

  1. Review your business model to see if you want or need to make changes. The need for social distancing has created an era of digital meetings and finding new ways to connect with employees, customers, boards, etc. Everything from manufacturing to restaurants to B2B companies are evolving to a new digital world, and it may require an investment of resources for your company. I found an excellent article on preparing for the recovery that has detailed and helpful information. 
  2. Check your website. Go through the website from head to toe looking for broken links, misspellings, typographic errors, grammatical problems, etc. Take the opportunity to add fresh content and make sure the navigation is easy to use. The user experience (UX) is one of the most important influences on your customers. Web design trends are constantly changing, and we are seeing more 3D, geometric shapes, and dark mode influences in 2020. If you don’t have a website, call or Email me. I can help you get started.
  3. Review your marketing materials. If you have brochures, palm or rack cards, business cards, giveaway items, posters, etc., review them carefully. Again, check for grammar and spelling, as well as content to see if you need to update them. Also consider whether they are working for you – do they generate leads or business? Investing your resources in marketing materials is smart, but only as long as they are serving a purpose. 
  4. Study up on your industry to find out what’s new. In the busy world we’ve left behind (for now), it could be difficult to keep up with marketing trends in our own industry or vertical. There wasn’t much time for reading or learning new things. But this pandemic pause can be an opportunity to do just that. Professional publications and marketing blogs can bring you up to date on what is working, what is coming, and what you should know about marketing.
  5. Lastly, take some time for social media. Visit platforms that you don’t usually frequent. Don’t use Tik Tok, Instagram or Pinterest? Take time to visit each of these. Find out how many people use these platforms, and what the demographics are. Each social media site has a different audience and use different media. Review your business social media use and determine whether you need to make changes to reach your target audience. Here is an article that may help you learn about popular platforms.

Now that you have a little more time, take the opportunities presented to really think about your marketing. Review the budget, the materials, target audiences and your philosophy. Challenge yourself on whether you are using the best approach, and be willing to make changes if not.