Distributing organic content is becoming increasingly difficult. Only a small percentage of your followers see your content, so it's important that it stands out. You want followers to take action, otherwise, you won't be discovered by those who don't follow you yet. How can you then best increase your reach? We have compiled a number of tips for you that can help!
1. Video takes priority
It has been predicted for a while now, within a few years social media will consist of 80% video content. This is of course nothing new, but you need to know how to approach video in the right way. You create a lot of reach with it and increase your brand awareness in this way. On Facebook and Instagram, it is possible to post various types of content, but on channels like YouTube and TikTok you can only post video content.
The algorithm of Facebook and Instagram is set up so that when a video is uploaded, it takes priority over other types of content. You naturally want to reach more users, because that is the way to grow. So make sure you post a video where your company is prominently featured. The more personal, the better, and don't lose sight of your topic.
- Post a long video, longer than 1 minute. You can only spend your time once, and Facebook wants its users to stay within the platform. That's why it's so important to trigger the attention of followers and users in the first 3-5 seconds. If you don't do this, your video ends up in no man's land, and that's where you don't want to end up. Capture them in those first seconds, make it attractive, and ensure that this feeling returns throughout the video. Users will watch longer, and this results in a higher score within Facebook. This way, your content is displayed more often!
- Post square videos. This is full-screen for every device. If you post rectangular content vertically, there is a chance that part of it will be cut off on one screen and not on another. Square content is therefore suitable for every device.
Tip: never post your video on Facebook via a YouTube link. Facebook wants to keep users within its own platform, and videos can be easily uploaded within Facebook. This way, you get priority in Facebook's algorithm and reach more people.
2. Engage in interaction
To gain more reach, it is more important than ever to engage in interaction with your followers. Interaction creates a domino effect. When one of your followers comments on your post, their friends see this post again. Then one of their friends likes it, and you end up in that friend's network again. This is incredibly important because you want to reach more and more, and with the right content and your tone of voice, you can play into this very well. This way, you get the reactions you want, you gain more reach, and you increase your brand awareness! It can be that simple, but get started with it and make sure you increase your brand awareness.
How do you easily get more interaction? Ask an (open) question at the end of your post. You can add “Let us know in a comment below this post.” No one can avoid answering then. In the beginning, you might not get the desired responses, but you won't be discouraged by the first setbacks, right? Ensure consistency and persevere! If you get a response, also reply to this person. This shows that you are involved, and people love attention. Be active and build an engaged community. This way, your post scores better and is displayed faster on others' timelines.
3. Discover what your audience finds interesting
Besides interaction leading to more organic reach, you also get to know your audience better. The better you know your audience, the better you can tailor your content to what they find interesting. Learn from your followers who need to interact with your content. Do you post content that they find interesting? Then you get the reactions you want, namely reactions without asking for them! This makes people spontaneously respond, making it more fun and easier to post the right content.
So, do some research. Post different types of content on your page at different times. Does your audience like videos? Do they click through to your blog posts on the website a lot? Or do they respond a lot to puzzles you post? Keep track of what gets responses, clicks, and which types of posts get likes. Keep track of your statistics and respond to them. Do you have a topic that gets a lot of reach? Then post another message about this topic, but for example in a video. Do they respond well to this too? Then you're doing well!
To keep track of how your posts are performing, you can find this in one overview. Go to the “Statistics” tab within Facebook and Instagram. Within Facebook, you can specifically click on “Posts,” and there you will see all the information you need. On Instagram, you immediately see an overview with your posts. Measuring is knowing, so keep an eye on everything!
Tip: Keep an eye on your competitor(s). Also, take a look at what your competitor is doing and what the followers of that page respond well to. Chances are this will be well received by you too.
4. Post your message at the right time
There are many posts with “This is the best time to post your message on social media.” It's nice that those articles are there and handy for beginner pages, but is it ultimately relevant to you? Ultimately not, because your followers may not even be online at that time. You can easily see what your audience is doing in your statistics.
So, it's very easy to stick to these times, but in reality, only you know when your audience is online. There is no one time when the followers of all business pages are on social media. Additionally, it doesn't make sense to post at the times that appear in such articles because everyone posts at those times. This only makes you less visible. Therefore, it's time to dive into your own data and find out when your followers are online. They need to like or comment on your post first before it reaches a new audience and before you are displayed more.
To discover the best time for your business page, go to the “Statistics” tab within Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook, you find the information about the times under the statistic “Posts,” and on Instagram under “Audience.”
Tip: Always post just before the peak when your followers are online. This way, your current followers who are online earlier can already respond to your post, like it, or share it. This way, it spreads better through the timeline of your current followers who come online afterward. The platform sees it as valuable content, and therefore you score higher within the algorithm. This way, you create more reach and become more visible to your current and new followers.
5. The use of Hashtags
Hashtags are used on various platforms. But what do they actually do, and do they work the same on all channels? No, they don't work the same on all channels and not at all on some.
Within Instagram, hashtags are incredibly effective. Don't use hashtags? Then you won't be discovered by a new audience, and you miss out on opportunities. Hashtags ensure that you are visible on the “Explore” page among the content that a user finds interesting. This page is based on the likes and comments given on other content with, for example, the same hashtags. Additionally, it is also possible within Instagram to follow hashtags. This way, the user immediately sees the latest content posted with this hashtag. How many hashtags? Use more than ten and don't be stingy. Later, when your reach becomes larger and larger, you can use fewer and focus on the most important ones.
LinkedIn has exactly the same function. Also, within that channel, you are immediately aware of the latest posts in which hashtags are used that you follow. This way, you create more reach within these channels, but on LinkedIn, it applies: “Less is more.” Only relevant hashtags that have something to do with your topic and nothing else.
Furthermore, let's look at Facebook. Does it actually make sense to post a hashtag on Facebook? Well, opinions are divided on that. To show what happens when you search for a hashtag on Facebook, we conducted a small test, so pay attention!
Suppose you now search for one of the most viral topics of the moment: Coronavirus. What comes up? Most people within Facebook will not place a # when searching for a specific topic. If we only search for the term “Coronavirus” within the platform, we first get a notification with the applicable rules. This is followed by pages that post about this topic and want to say something about it.
When searching for “#coronavirus,” posts appear where the hashtag is used. That's nice, but keep in mind that few to no people search with a hashtag within Facebook.
For creating a larger reach, the hashtag on Facebook is not as important as on Instagram. Within Facebook, it's mainly about creating interaction, interaction, and more interaction. This is the way to become visible to a new audience, unlike Instagram. There, it is crucial to use hashtags to increase your reach. Do you understand the difference?
Latest development within Instagram
Channels like Facebook and Instagram are, of course, constantly renewing and working on implementing developments. Instagram has now announced that they have started implementing an update regarding the search functionality.
Previously, if you wanted to stand out among the content, you had to use the most relevant hashtags. This will soon be a thing of the past! This new development will make it possible to search within Instagram using keywords. Content in which this keyword is correctly processed in the caption. Additionally, the time of posting and the type of content are important to be found well.
According to Instagram, the keywords will first be limited to a number of interesting topics. So don't stop using relevant hashtags immediately, as these also ensure that you gain even more reach. At the moment, the new development is in the testing phase in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, and Canada. As soon as it is also available in the Netherlands and Belgium, we will, of course, keep you informed!
Want to know more about organic content?
Organic content is very important alongside advertising and is often taken for granted. Don't do this and get started with it. Do you want to know more about how to post organic messages on social media? Or do you need help setting up an organic content plan that supports you in posting content frequently? We are happy to help you further. Feel free to contact us, and we will look with you at how we can best tackle this!
