Targeted Facebook Ads can be very effective, but the social network doesn’t always provide sound results for organic reach. Facebook changes its algorithm as often as any online giant, hence social media managers are always kept on their toes.
Different posting methods account for most of the differences in organic reach from Facebook, and each method comes with good and bad. Some posting styles used to receive better reach than they do now, while other practices show consistent reach/impressions results.
Uploading an Original Image with Your Post
Up until the second half of 2014, posting an original image with Facebook posts performed better with organic reach than posts without an original image. Facebook made an algorithm change at the end of last year, 2014, and now the results have changed for organic reach associated with uploading original images.
Currently, uploading images to Facebook posts receive the lowest organic reach results compared to others, thus performing exactly the opposite of how they used to.
Facebook posts containing link “windows”, or links, now receive higher organic reach and impressions.
Most link-style posts allow for users to upload an original photo to the link itself. This method allows for social media managers to still be creative with original image use while still receiving good reach. Instead of using the image automatically provided with a shared link, managers can press the “+ upload photo” icon appearing in the link window.
Personally, I don’t recommend to stop uploading original images altogether, but rather mix them in your content rotation. High quality, creative images are still more appealing to a Facebook user than viewing a typical link window shared with most posts. Original image posts can still generate good organic reach and impressions on their own accord if the image is able to achieve early engagement from fans.
Text Only Posts
Facebook posts that use only written text have consistently shown higher reach and impressions than other types of posts over the past few years. Last year’s algorithm change shows little effect to how text-only posts perform. They performed well before the change and they continue to do so now.
Text-only posts can be very limiting when it comes to the goals of social media managers. Links can’t be used to drive website traffic and images can’t be used to promote services and/or catch the eye of a Facebook user. A social media manager must engage the audience with only the written copy of the post.
Text-only posts may receive nice reach but the challenge is to use this type of post to achieve social media goals as well.
Automatically Generated Posts
Automatically generated posts refer to posts that are scheduled and/or made via applications and software. In other words, they are posts not made organically while logged in to each social media platform. Hootsuite is an example of a popular third party application allowing scheduled posts to go out on numerous social media accounts.
Auto-generated posts have traditionally performed poorly in reach and impressions and still perform poorly to date. Using auto-generating tools for social media posts are very efficient for many social media mangers to schedule to multiple networks and save time, but these posts receive little organic reach.
Auto-generated posts not only perform poorly, but they have an unappealing “spammy” look to them. Also, the audience experience is lowered because they will see the same content on all of your social media accounts.
We hope a brief discussion of the above mentioned posting methods provides help for your social media presence. Please share your comments and feedback on Facebook posting practices that perform well for your business.
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