Organic Reach: Social Media

Organic reach- no we are not talking about compost and how far it will go in your garden. 

Who sees your social posts?

We often have clients say to us

“I’m so frustrated with social media. I’ve been posting regularly for months, but I’m not getting anywhere. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.”

The truth is they might not be doing anything “wrong” at all. Most business owners are not aware that organic reach on social media is VERY LOW. Only a small fraction of your followers will see your posts in their feeds.

Social media reach

Social media reach is an important performance indicator (KPI) that holds immense significance, particularly when it comes to evaluating brand awareness. It refers to the number of unique individuals who have seen a social media post. By measuring social media reach, brands can gauge the extent of their online presence and the potential reach of their content.

Understanding social media reach helps in determining the effectiveness of marketing efforts aimed at building brand awareness. A high reach implies that a brand’s content has reached a vast audience, increasing the likelihood of attracting new customers and enhancing brand recognition. This metric helps brands assess the success of their social media strategies and enables them to make data-driven decisions to optimise their future campaigns. By analysing social media reach, brands can identify which types of content resonate most with their target audience. This insight allows them to tailor their content strategy to better engage their followers and attract a larger audience. Moreover, tracking changes in reach over time helps brands assess the impact of their marketing initiatives, enabling them to adapt and refine their approach accordingly. 

Engagement Rate.

With engagement rate you’re factoring in the number of followers you have, and your engagement rate provides an honest assessment of the quality of your content.

For example, if a brand has millions of followers, but only receives a few dozen interactions per post, likely, they’re not producing high-quality content.

Contrast that with an account with way fewer followers but gets lots of shares, likes or comments. That account would have a high engagement rate.

The decline of Facebook organic reach.

As of July 2023, the average engagement rate of an organic Facebook post ranges from 2.58% down to just 1.52%. (Hubspot). This means that less than 3% of your followers are likely to see your posts in their feed on average.

Socialinsider measures engagement rate reach. In 2023, Instagram gets an engagement rate reach of 4.20% on average, Facebook records average values that go up to a maximum of only 1.90%.

There are lots of statistics on this, and measured in slightly different ways, however the truth is organic reach has been declining over time.

This decline in organic reach can be attributed to various factors. One such factor is the increasing number of Facebook users and the subsequent rise in content being shared. With more users and content competing for attention, the visibility of individual posts naturally diminishes. Additionally, Facebook’s algorithm, which determines the content shown in users’ news feeds, has become more sophisticated over the years and is changing constantly.

Some tips for promoting organic Facebook growth with the caveat that some of these depend on your business and brand.

• Create high-quality content that is relevant to your audience. This is the most important factor in increasing organic reach. Your content should be informative, engaging, or entertaining, and it should be something that your audience wants to see.
• Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen people who are interested in what you have to say. When you use relevant hashtags, your posts will show up in the search results for those hashtags.
• Post at the right times. When you post your content can make a big difference in how many people see it. Experiment with different posting times to see what works best for your audience.
• Interact with your audience. Respond to comments and questions, and participate in relevant conversations. This will help you to build relationships with your audience and keep them coming back for more.
• Run Facebook contests and giveaways. Contests and giveaways are a great way to attract new followers and generate engagement.
• Use Facebook ads to boost your organic reach. When you run a Facebook ad, your post will be shown to a larger audience, including people who don’t follow your page.
• Use Facebook Groups. Groups are a great way to connect with your audience and build relationships. When you post in a group, your post will be shown to all of the members of the group, even if they don’t follow your page.
• Use Facebook Live. Live video is a great way to engage your audience and build excitement around your brand. When you go live, your followers will receive a notification, and they can tune in to watch and interact with you in real time.
• Use Facebook Stories. Stories are a fun and engaging way to share behind-the-scenes content and connect with your audience on a more personal level.

Instagram has a slightly better engagement rate.

There are a few reasons why Instagram has better engagement than Facebook.

1.Instagram is a more visual platform, and people are more likely to engage with visual content. 

2.Instagram has a younger user base, and younger users are more likely to be active on social media. 

3.Instagram’s algorithm is designed to show users content that they are most likely to be interested in, which leads to higher engagement rates.

Here are a few tips on how to improve your organic engagement on Instagram:

• Post high-quality photos and videos: Instagram is a visual platform, so it’s important to post high-quality photos and videos. Use good lighting and composition, and edit your photos and videos to make them look their best.
• Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen people who are interested in what you have to say. When you use relevant hashtags, your posts will show up in the search results for those hashtags. Do not overuse them or you will penalised.
• Post at the right times: When you post your content can make a big difference in how many people see it. Experiment with different posting times to see what works best for your audience.
• Interact with your audience: Respond to comments and questions, and participate in relevant conversations.
• Use Instagram Stories: Stories are a fun and engaging way to share behind-the-scenes content and connect with your audience on a more personal level.

Paid advertising through Meta.

The algorithms are MEANT to frustrate business owners- because Meta wants to make more money. To combat this decline in organic reach, businesses and content creators often turn to paid advertising options provided Facebook/Instagram. Boosting posts or running targeted ad campaigns can help increase visibility and engagement. 

Another strategy is to combine organic posting with some paid. We suggest that you look at your engagement rates on your organic posts first to ensure you are creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. Then if that is high you can dip your toe into paid advertising. 

Other.

Make sure you are on the platforms where your audience is, we have only looked at Facebook/Instagram here but your audience may be on TikTok, Pinterest and so on.

If you have a blog use that and the power of SEO to help get more eyes on your business.

Google

It may be more effective for your business to use google advertising.

Influencers.

Some businesses work with influencers, especially on Instagram which will be a topic for a whole other blog post- this works best for certain types of businesses and many of our small business clients have had bad experiences with it. This was mainly due to poor organisation and contractual arrangements.

Organic Posting.

People want everything to be instant, however, organic social media posting requires a considerable investment of time and effort. It involves creating and sharing content on social media platforms without relying on paid advertising or promotions. While it may seem tempting to take shortcuts and resort to paid methods (which also take time to perfect) organic posting offers several unique advantages. Organic posts have a far wider range and nature than paid advertising.

Organic posting allows businesses to build genuine connections with their target audience. By consistently sharing valuable and relevant content, businesses can establish trust and credibility, leading to long-term customer loyalty. This approach fosters meaningful interactions, encourages user engagement, and promotes brand advocacy. 

Organic social media posting enables businesses to showcase their expertise and personality. By creating authentic and original content, brands can demonstrate their industry knowledge, share insights, and present themselves as thought leaders. This engagement can attract a wider audience, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive organic traffic to the company’s website or online platforms. 

Organic posting helps businesses save costs. While paid advertising can yield results, it requires a significant financial investment and fine tuning. Organic posting, on the other hand, allows businesses to generate traffic and engagement without incurring additional expenses. By investing time and effort into creating compelling content, brands can achieve sustainable growth and maximise their return on investment.

In conclusion, organic social media posting may demand time and dedication, but it offers numerous benefits for businesses and is an essential part of a comprehensive social media strategy.