BOOST YOUR Social Media Content
LIKE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST
Are you one of those people who have spent HOURS, everyday, on social media?
Trying to grind and get your business noticed.
The results what you expected?
Maybe you can’t fit a social media strategist into your budget.
For now…
So you are tempted to give up on this confusing labyrinth of Social Media Content.
Social media can be frustrating, but your business cannot afford to NOT be on it.
Don’t quit just yet.
Because we’ve curated ‘11 tactics from social media strategists‘ that are guaranteed to boost your reach.
That’s right, no need to be an expert!
But you do need to learn some of the tricks of the trade.
That’s why before we breakdown our tactics, you need to know how the Facebook’s algorithm works.
The Algorithm: Social Media Reach Explained
First, understand that the biggest social media platform (Facebook) now follows Google’s algorithm.
There’s a widely accepted, misconception that the reasoning for this is due to revenue.
Although this is true to an extent (they’re a business, after all), the ultimate concern is actually the end users.
Here’s how Facebook’s Algorithm Works:
When someone posts content, it will be visible to ~1% of their followers.
If users react to the content by liking, sharing, commenting (remember – negative reactions are still reactions), the pool will get larger – 2 to 3%.
The more people respond, the wider the pool gets.
This is what ultimately drives virality.
In a nutshell:
Content that engages well with users will reach more and more people, and those that fail to do so won’t see the light of day.
Why The Decline In Social Media Content Reach?
Facebook explained that the focus on the algorithm change is for users to stay engaged in the platform.
Think about it…
People will leave if they only see lame content on their feed, day in and day out.
The problem is, businesses need to keep up with the times.
Imagine a company that has posted thousands of poor quality posts.
Facebook’s bots have detected that people don’t react to this type of content.
SO, they simply won’t show them in people’s feeds.
Let’s say that this business creates one high-quality piece of content.
What happens?
Well, since the crawler-bots are “used to” sub-par content from this business, the high-quality content will be negatively impacted, like its predecessors.
Is all hope lost?
Of course not!
Read on to find out how you can think like a social media strategist to remedy the situation (we’re almost there!).
The Most Common Content Visibility Mistake
Here’s why you need to know about the algorithm: so you can stop doing this fatal mistake.
Believe it or not, people tend to share too much content.
Thinking that the more they share, the more visibility they get.
We’ve seen that, even though in the past it has worked, it doesn’t anymore.
Sharing content for the sake of sharing is no bueno.
It will hurt your ROI and waste your time (and time is money).
This is the first thing that you must stop doing.
What else do you need to do?
We’ll discuss this through the 11 points below so you can get a high level of engagement on your social media accounts.
11 TACTICS TO BOOST YOUR ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST
1. Don’t waste time
It sounds counter productive, right?
Maybe we should be clear:
Stop wasting time on the platform, where you don’t get engagement.
There are too many social media platforms out there for you to be doubling down on what isn’t working for you.
Granted, they all have a potential of bringing you customers, BUT it’s impossible to be everywhere at all times.
Instead, limit your presence to be in a top few that have constantly shown the highest level of user’s engagement.
How can you figure this out?
- Use the analytics features. You can use a built-in analytics (Google Analytics or Twitter Analytics), or use a social media analytics tools. Many are free but offer semi-accurate data recording.
- Check out other businesses within your niche. Especially those who have been in the game longer. Where are they the most active? It’s probably logical that you shouldn’t try a platform that your competitors don’t use.
- Ask your followers. That’s right, ask their opinions through a survey, at the end of blog posts, or weekly newsletters: where do you like engaging with us? After all, it’s them you’re trying to attract.
2. It’s high quality or nothing
But… we have seen from the example above that a high-quality content won’t help me with the latest algorithm!
You’re right!
That’s why we need more than just one.
We need to post several high-quality pieces of content.
Consistently!
As a matter of fact…
You must always post high-quality content.
If it’s not good, it’s better not to post it at all.
Quality > Quantity, always and forever… mmmmkay!?!
Beyond the algorithm question, top notch content will lead to a solid reputation for your brand.
3. Take care of your posting frequencies
You’d think marketers would learn by now, that over-posting is bad.
But how many of you are still doing it?
It’s not your fault, its your agency’s fault and it’s your data’s fault.
I’ve seen the same metrics you have and what it shows is that your competitors are continuing to post more and more.
SO… You have to as well, right!?!
Negative Ghostrider.
Like your Dad used to say, “If they all jumped off a cliff, would you?“
But how many times per day should you post on social media?
Many strategists recommend twice.
Every business is unique though.
And every audience is different.
How people use each platform is not the same either.
So there is no exact right answer.
Set up an experiment, where you change your posting frequency on each platform every week.
Then, based on the data, you’ll know what works for you.
4. Different content for different platforms
Instead of repeating what you’ve shared on Facebook on Twitter, Instagram, or others, consider creating unique content for each platform.
The idea is to not drive people (at least not all the time) to your website or blog posts, but let them stay on the platform.
You can, for instance, use your Instagram for beautiful photos of your products, and Snapchat for the behind-the-scenes of making the photos or how to use your products.
For your followers, it’s good to see not the same content everywhere.
It also sparks their interest because you’re showing them the multiple layers to your business.
Another trick is to use CoSchedules headline analyzer and create multiple headlines for the same piece of content to match the users mindset on every platform.
5. Target your audience
You may think that by not setting up who can see your posts, more people will see them.
But expert social media strategists say that if people don’t find your content relevant, they won’t engage or react.
This is why you need to set up a target audience: only show your content to those interested in them.
Facebook has Enhanced Page Post Targeting that will let you set up your target audience based on gender, relationship status, location, educational level, age, and language.
Of course, there are no set-on-stone rules about this either.
You should make several trials before finding out which audience engages the most with your content.
6. Create content that has a long shelf life
It’s understandable that you want to leverage a trend to be more popular.
Although this may work once, it won’t forever.
Trends come and go.
But there are questions or problems that people constantly need your help with.
This is a better content topic for you than writing about what’s in.
Evergreen content is something people will need for a long time.
7. Apply the 80/20 rule
The rule is about the ratio of the promotional and other types of content you should post.
Although there’s no exact science for measuring the rate, social media strategists agree that you must post less promotional and more helpful content.
We know the point of your social media accounts is to get more customers.
But the truth is people are more interested in what provides value to them.
This is the reason that guides and tips are among the most preferred content for users.
The more you give your followers what they’re looking for, the more they will engage.
8. Polish your profiles
If you think that filling every part of the form on your profile is a waste of time, think again.
The goal is to make your brand recognizable and your profile findable during a search.
So do make sure to include your location, type of business, and a great profile picture.
Your profile is another way to acquire leads & customers, so USE IT!!
Polishing your profile also means including keywords indicators in the description (for those who like to scan, as well as search engines).
Don’t overdo it, however, since it can create a negative effect.
9. Talk to your followers
You want your followers to engage, so when they do, return the favor.
The beauty of this extends beyond social media reach, but to your reputation as well.
Brands who reply to comments are seen to care about their costumers genuinely.
Use this opportunity to answer questions, address complaints, or just say thanks.
Doing this will make your customers happy, and create a word-to-mouth effect that enhances the good image of your brand.
10. Diversify the type of your content
We do hope that you mix several kinds of content.
It’s easy to stick to what we know, but people always look for other ways to consume information.
Studies have shown that people want to see more videos and online courses in the future.
This doesn’t mean you have to bust thousands of dollars to create a full production Youtube video.
You can start small to test the waters.
For Example:
Post a short video, captured with your phone, on your Instagram or TikTok.
Same with other types of content.
A professional strategist will recommend you to research and trial to find the types that generate more engagements.
11. Don’t overtly ask for likes or shares
Be careful about asking your followers to like, follow, or share!
Facebook will penalize businesses who openly or consistently ask for engagement.
According to social media strategists, people will find you spammy.
Also, you want genuine engagement, not staged or asked one!
Instead, focus on creating quality and helpful content to share.
When people honestly find your content great, they will be happy to like and share, even without you overtly asking them to.
Take Away Lesson
With the latest algorithm change, there are two keywords for you to remember and apply religiously: quality and consistency.
Content is king, yes, but crappy content gets nowhere near the throne.
Admittedly, it’s not something easy to deliver continuously over the years.
That’s why you need to think like a social media strategist.
How have you been doing with your social media reach?
Any tips or tricks you care to share with us in a comment below?
If you have any question, don’t hesitate, we will be happy to talk to you.
