How to Improve Your Small Business's Reach On Facebook

As a business owner, it’s important to ensure that your reach is as wide as possible on Facebook; it's where most adults look for business information after Google. However, before you go off and start posting any old content, there are some common mistakes that may be hindering your reach. Here are some of the do's and don'ts you should keep in mind when marketing your business on Facebook.

FOR REACH, DO

• Engage with your followers. Respond to their comments, questions, and suggestions to show that you value their opinions. Being active in the comment section not only makes you look competent but like you really care about your customers/followers; simply, you're giving them the time of day.

• Feature user-generated content (UGC). UGC is graphic design, videos, voiceovers, audio etc., that has been created by you. UCG can also include testimonials and reviews by you or your customers. It adds a level of authenticity and relatability to your page; you're friendly, you're approachable, and therefore, you're more attractive to potential customers. MAKE USE OF REELS, STORIES AND TRADITIONAL POSTS... WIDEN YOUR REACH.

• Make use of Facebook’s analytics tools. These are invaluable in helping you understand who is engaging with your page and how they are interacting with it. Meta Business Suite allows you to see the figures, and then tailor your content to the audience you want to reach.

FOR REACH, DON'T

• Post too often. If you post too frequently, your followers may become overwhelmed or bored and stop engaging with your posts. This can further reduce your reach on the platform. However, some business owners misunderstand this and assume 2x a week is enough..let me affirm this, it's not. Maybe think about spacing it out: 3x weekday posts, 1x weekend post.

• Overuse hashtags. Generally, Facebook HATES hashtags and purposefully reduces the reach of posts that use them. It's their way to penalise 'spamming for reach'. However, this is not the case with Facebook Reels; use hashtags to your heart's content on those. Although hashtags are a great way to increase visibility and engagement, using too many of them can make your posts look cluttered and overwhelming as well. This goes for Instagram too. So, use hashtags sparingly.

• Post irrelevant content. While it’s important to mix up the type of content you post, try to keep it related to your business or the topic that your followers are interested in. Otherwise, your posts may be overlooked or ignored, for example: random, unfunny memes, impulsive posts, random reposts with no context... all these make you look slightly erratic and like you may be scrolling with a large glass of wine in the other hand 🍷

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By following these simple do's and don'ts, you’ll be able to maximise your reach on Facebook and ensure that your business is visible to the right people.

Good luck!

The Social Media Coach x