Image courtesy, Jon Watson Flickr
One of the biggest frustrations businesses are facing today with social media is the drop in Facebook's organic reach. If you started building your audience a few years ago then it may not have come as such a blow, but for many reaching their fans and growing their audiences on Facebook has and continues to be a huge frustration. I hear so many saying they are just so disappointed because they spend so much time creating great content for Facebook only to be delivered to a fraction of their audience. It can be heart breaking for especially when they have used both time and money to build their audience in the first place. Some have given up on their Facebook page altogether.
There are good reasons that Facebook has changed their algorithm and these reasons are actually very good news for brands. In order to make it a viable platform for advertisers they need to maintain there position as the number social network. The only way they can do this is to make the experience as amazing as possible for their members. Of course Facebook is here to make money but Mark Zuckerberg and his team are obsessed with making sure people are only seeing only the stuff they love in their newsfeed. As a brand, once you understand this you can use this to your advantage.
So why shouldn't you just give up on your Facebook page and and walk away? Well there are a number of reasons. I hope by the time you have finished reading this little post you will not only understand that walking away would be a huge mistake, but will also realise the great opportunities Facebook has to help you build your business, brand and authority. So here goes!
1. Facebook is often the first port of call for a new customer
Whether we like it Facebook has become the most powerful social network. Often the first place a new customer or prospect will visit to find out about a brand is their Facebook Page. People will look to a page to find out if that business is bonafide, how active the brand is, how they are engaging with their customers and what other people are saying about that brand. So if a new visitor arrives on a Facebook page and sees that the brand's last post was over a month ago or even worse 2 months ago, then they are going to be more than a little put off. This is a major reason to keep your Facebook page up to date and continue posting great content. As a business you really need to be posting quality content on a Facebook page at least once a day of not more.
2. Social proof
Social proof has never been more important than it is today. People are far more likely to believe what other people are saying about a brand than what the brand are saying about themselves. If you arrive at a page and it only has a few fans then you just may not be convinced enough to cick the buy button. On the other hand if you see people are liking a page and commenting on posts then you will probably be a whole lot more confident about purchasing their product. Also don't forget when anyone comments on a one of your Facebook posts someone somewhere is very likely to see that action on their ticker on the right hand side of their Facebook page.
3. To use Facebook to build your mailing list
Facebook is a great place to build your mailing list. You need to remember that whichever social network you are using, you do not actually own your social media profile and at any time they can change the rules. Therefore getting your fans or followers to sign up to your newsletter should be your number one priority on your Facebook page. Once your fans are on your list you can continue to build your relationship with them through email which will offer you even more opportunities to convert them into your customers. When you are inviting new people to your Facebook Page make sure you are tempting them with a great offer and make sure you are promoting this on a cover photo or on a pinned post at the top of your page. Remember the first time a fan visits your page may be the last time so don't miss this valuable one time opportunity.
4. Advertising
Yes many have benefited from free advertising and we all love free advertising but if we are in business then we need to realise that we also need to spend money to make money. There really are not many better places to do this than with Facebook who have a ginormous amount of information which we can draw from so we can reach our ideal customer. You may not be able to reach 100% of your fans on your page for free 100% of the time but you can if you want to. If you have anything really important to say or a new product that you want to introduce then with a click of your mouse you can promote your post and reach all of your fans, and even more of your target audience if you wish. You can also grow your mailing list with Facebook advertising. Facebook advertising is one of the most powerful and effective forms of advertising there is and we are incredibly lucky to have this available to us. It wasn't that long ago that having a business could feel a bit like being on a dessert island and unless you had thousands of pounds to spend on advertising it was really hard to get your message out to the right people. Now we have the opportunity to connect so easily with our target audience through Facebook advertising. Being able to reach exactly who we want to at any time is a golden opportunity for any business. And remember if you have built your audience on Facebook you have a ready made audience just waiting to hear about your next product or promotion.
5. People feel safe on Facebook
More and more people are turning to Facebook pages rather than actual websites. In fact many businesses are just managing with a Facebook Page rather than even owning a a website. Many feel more in contact and closer to a brand on a Facebook page than visiting their website. Remember Facebook is a very powerful brand to be associated with. As a business we need to remember that our Facebook pages are sales pages and a hub of information for our customers.
6. You can still reach your fans for free
If you are creating the right content and delivering it to the right audience then you will still reach a proportion of your fans. The more your fans engage with your content, the more Facebook will show your content to them. Remember Facebook's main priority is to create an awesome experience for the end user! So if they see your fans loving your content then they will keep delivering it. Don't forget the people who love your brand will not always want to wait to see your content in their newsfeed, they may actually make a special visit to your page to catch up. Some may even switch on 'Get Notifications' so they are notified every time you post an update. If you have raving fans like this then you need to continue creating great content for just for them.
7. You haven't anything to lose
Maybe you are disappointed with your page's reach and have found you are having more success posting your content to other platforms, if this is the case then it can't hurt to post the same content to Facebook. With all the social media posting tools available like Hootsuite and Buffer, you're don't need to waste any time posting to Facebook as well. If you are already creating awesome content for Facebook then you may as well post it to another network as well.
8. Because other businesses are giving up
Many have given up on their Facebook page already and that's really good news for those of us who haven't. Like anything in this world, you have to be in it to win it, and if you are going to extra mile to delight your fans then it's will definitely going to pay off in the end.
9. Anything could change anytime
Who's to say that Facebook won't change their Algorithm again in your favour and if they do then you really want to be part of the world's most powerful social network and you really want have an audience on Facebook to post to.
10. Free exposure
Every time you comment on Facebook this is an opportunity to be seen by someone. When anyone hovers over your name to find out who you, they will see the name of your business page if you have added it to the work section of your profile. Make sure you have completed the work section of your Facebook profile and have added your Facebook Page name to it. This is one of the biggest missed opportunities and I see it everyday on Facebook.
So this is my advice to you, stick with it, stay with it, keep posting awesome content that resonates with your fans and keep building your audience. Don't give up and know that you are doing the right thing by continuing and for all the reasons above.
Are you struggling with your Facebook page or is your page doing really well? Have you thought about giving up or has this little article changed your mind? Can you think of any other reasons why you shouldn't give up on your Facebook page. I would love to hear your views on the subject in the comments below.
This post was previously published on AlexStearn.com. If you would like to receive Alex's social media tips direct to your inbox please sign up here or follow on her on Facebook here.