How to Improve Your Facebook Page's Reach

Social media is one of the biggest assets a business can have. Through the power of social media, businesses are able to quickly connect with their target audience and effectively promote their products or services. The biggest network that a business can join is Facebook. In fact, over one-third of the United States population has an active Facebook account. This makes it a prime method for advertising. Use this quick guide to learn how you can expand your Facebook page's reach, growing your regular following and getting plenty of traffic.

Why a Business Facebook Page and Not a Profile?

When you set up your company's Facebook account, you have several options. In most cases, you will start by building a regular Facebook profile and adding people to your friends list. However, creating a Facebook Page allows you to make a better connection and gives you more options that help you grow your business.

Because more businesses are signing up for Facebook daily, adjustments are always being made to how pages operate. They have always been highly searchable, and let people find your company through browsing. Most of the changes have to do with the settings and how users interact with the page.

For example, Business Pages can be liked and followed so that they appear in news feeds. Both businesses and users have more customisation options when it comes to notifications, which can affect how your posts are seen in an organic search. This is different from a person "friending" or following your business' profile. Learn all of the options you have available to you and see just how much your business can benefit.

Content Organically Boosts Searchability

Many businesses don't realise that Facebook's internal search engine is starting to rival Google's. These advances benefit Business Page owners in many ways. For example, many basic search engine optimisation rules carry over to Facebook:

• Keywords affect how your site is ranked.
• Backlinks (in the form of shares) can improve your ranking.
• Regular, unique content greatly boosts your visibility.

Posting regular content allows you to show up in news feeds more consistently and makes your page more interesting. This gives your page more value and encourages people to like your page. Because your page is now more intriguing, Facebook is more likely to show it in the search results.

Stick to a Schedule          

Now that you understand the importance of great content, you need to start learning about the importance of keeping a schedule. Having a schedule for your posts, usually three times per day at the same times each day, helps your fans know when to check back for fresh content. If you are worried about logging in every day at 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., try finding an automated service that allows you to schedule your posts in advance.

Remember, the times you choose for your schedule are important. You want to choose times when your target audience is most likely to be online and browsing Facebook. This is a little different in each industry. For example, most B2B business pages find that posting Monday through Friday during the day is effective, where as an entertainment business may be more successful on weekends and after 5 p.m.

If you aren't sure where to begin, try looking at comments people have left on your page. Pay attention to the time stamps and try to find the times people are engaging with you the most. Automatic analytic software or services can also help you to calculate these numbers.

Mix Up Your Content

People love sharing unique content. The more shares you get, the farther your reach goes. One way many businesses have stood out is by creating a wide variety of content and posts.

Your Business Page should be a mix of:

• Vibrant pictures
• Videos
• Interesting posts
• Company news
• Links to your website or product pages
• Reference links

Don't be afraid to mention another company and link to them. This can help you get closer to their audience. Remember, the goal is to be helpful and authoritative. Mixing up your content, rather than just posting links, makes you appear more authentic and trustworthy. This helps you build your authority and increases the odds people will share your posts.

Evergreen Posts Vs Topical

If you want to increase your reach, you may be tempted to just post things you think will go viral. While this is a great marketing strategy, it might not help your business in the long run. Pages that host evergreen content are always worth browsing, whereas topical content becomes dated rather quickly. You should still post industry news and relevant information, but you should also focus on:

• Did-you-know posts
• How-to posts or links to tutorials
• Inspirational messages
• Fun or humorous content

The goal is to get people to continue to share your posts for years to come, rather than for a few days. This helps you gain residual traffic long after your post has been written.

Measure Your Progress

The biggest way to expand your reach is to measure your progress and adjust your strategy as you go. Many people forget that a Facebook Business Page needs to be treated like a website. You need to monitor your traffic, engagement levels and overall effectiveness. Facebook has several built-in tools that can help with this, or you can seek the assistance of a third-party. As long as you are getting accurate information that allows you to make better decisions, you will steadily improve your reach over time.