How to Get More People to See your Facebook Posts

If a tree falls in the forest while no one is around, does it make a sound? Well, we’re not too sure… probably though, right?

As a team of social media boffins, what we do know, is that if no one sees your Facebook post, it’s not going to engage your customers, it’s not going to benefit your brand, and it’s certainly not going to ‘go viral’.

So how do you make sure your Facebook posts get the attention they deserve? Well, all it takes are a few tweaks and a little understanding of Facebook’s algorithms to get your social media messages in front of the people that matter. Here are a few quick tips to help you on your way…

Understanding the algorithms

As Jennifer Aniston, the star of a well known shampoo commercial, once said, “here comes the science bit”. Facebook is a business that wants to make as much money as it can. To this end, Facebook has been scaling back the reach of organic (unpaid) Facebook posts to try and make more businesses pay for the pleasure. A study by Time magazine in 2014, estimated that these algorithmic tweaks mean that brand posts on Facebook were typically seen by about 6 percent of a page’s fans.

The good news is that despite Facebook ‘encouraging’ more and more businesses to pay to play, there are still tactics you can use to get your free posts seen and shared by more people.

Targeting your posts

Hidden away in Facebook’s many options is the ability to target page posts at specific users based on myriad criteria, including age, gender, location and relationship status. Although the bigwigs at Facebook won’t let on whether these targeted posts reach a greater proportion of the audience, anecdotal evidence from a number of businesses suggests targeted posts do have a greater reach.

Targeted posts are also more likely to engage the users they’re aimed at, as long as those posts have been targeted correctly. To target your posts, simply go to the ‘Edit Page’ drop down menu on your admin panel and click on ‘Edit Settings’.

It’s all a matter of timing

If all else is equal, the timing of your post can increase the number of people who see your message. Of course, the best time to post on Facebook largely depends on your audience and your goals. Business to business (B2B) marketers can expect a 14 percent increase in their audience by posting on weekdays, while business to customer (B2C) brands receive a 17 percent uplift on weekends.

According to this infographic from Quick Sprout, “the less people want to be at work, the more likely they are to be on Facebook”. That makes Thursdays and Fridays the best days for B2B marketers to post.

More specifically, the research found that the early afternoon is the optimal time to post, with messages sent at 1pm and 3pm receiving the most shares and clicks respectively. By scheduling your Facebook posts in advance you can see the results for yourself.

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