What if Facebook showed your posts to fewer people, but it didn’t matter?
That’s not exactly the case, but the news isn’t all bad despite Facebook’s draconian ‘reach squeeze,’ which started impacting how many people saw posts made by organizations and businesses on the service last February.
An August study by marketing agency Komfo found that while reach dropped by 55 percent since last year, the click-through rate — the frequency that people click through to your links — has increased 48 percent.
“The reason engagement is up while reach is down is that Facebook isn’t reducing your reach randomly,” explained social media consultant Christie Keith.
“Instead, they’ve implemented algorithms that show your posts to people who have commented on your page, or recently liked it, or been engaged with it in some other way, such as sharing. That means they’re the people most likely to continue engaging with your page, or to click on your links.”
What does this mean for shelters and rescue groups?
“On the one hand, it’s good,” said Keith. “Your posts will be seen by your strongest supporters, and they’re the most likely to share your posts, donate to your organization or volunteer.”
On the other hand, she said, “Adoption organizations need to constantly reach new people to find homes for their pets. Most of your staunchest supporters have already adopted, and continuing to market to them is going to be less effective than reaching new audiences.”
Her recommendations:
- Continue to aim your posts at your best supporters, and encourage engagement by interacting with them in the comments.
- If you have a budget for paid promotion of adoption posts, make sure you target them specifically by interests, and not to your page’s existing fans.
- Ask your existing followers to share your posts with their friends and family members who don’t already follow your page.
Also of interest:
Social media: 6 new things animal organizations need to know
Helping animal organizations deal with Facebook’s ‘reach squeeze’