• Have you noticed the steady decline in the reach of your brand’s Facebook posts?
• Are your posts not showing up in your followers’ News Feeds?
• Frustrated with the slow growth of your Facebook campaigns even though your social media messaging is developed using fresh, useful content that encourages engagement?

These are sentiments echoed all over social media and marketing websites right now, and Facebook’s Brian Boland answered some of these questions regarding organic reach on the Facebook blog. Boland gave two reasons for the decline, the first being that the increased amount of content on Facebook has in turn increased the competition for News Feed views, and the second reason being changes to the algorithm that determines which stories show for each Facebook user. All the changes, Boland says, are “to provide the best experience for the people that use Facebook,” but in reality they seem to be forcing brands towards creating paid advertisements.

All of this information leads to the burning question…

Without organic reach, should my brand even bother to use Facebook anymore?

On the surface, it could be an easy no. Why waste time maintaining a social media site that does not distribute your posts to your followers in real time?

• Although your posts may not be delivered to all of your fans with the reach you once had, they still appear on your brand’s page. Keeping your Facebook profile page updated with latest business information, events, products, and useful content will encourage new visitors to like your brand’s page and even stop by for more information when needed.
• Your public posts are searchable, and you can use hashtags to increase your post’s visibility in the search results.
• Your Facebook page is not just a place for posting news and events. Your brand page is a free website displaying your brand’s reviews, hosting videos and photos, and showing your location with a map.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that social media campaigns are not just about Facebook. A 2013 Pew Research social media report states that 42% of adults on the internet use multiple social media sites. Make sure you are taking advantage of video popularity with platforms such as YouTube as well as Vine. Also remember that a picture can be worth a thousand words as shown by Forrester Research, where Instagram led the pack in terms of user engagement with brands.
Need help with your brand’s social media strategy? Contact the friendly folks at EverEffect to see how we can help optimize your social campaign and increase your brand awareness.
Facebook image courtesy of PromesaArtStudio / Shutterstock.com