by Angela Taffs | Apr 3, 2019 | Sales and Marketing
Why are your Facebook likes getting less and less
Have you noticed your reach on Facebook is getting less and less?
You are coming up with what you think are fabulously creative posts and yet still there the comments and likes are so intermittent as to be non-existent?
Well, here is the reason why.
Firstly, one of the simplest reasons may be the huge increase in the number of people using the platform. This means that you are now trying to gain attention from a far larger pot than you were a couple of years ago. More and pages are being created on a daily basis so you really need to make sure that you know who your ideal client is and post things that are going to captivate your audience.
But the other reason that has cropped up relatively recently is that Facebook surveyed hundreds of thousands of people and the overwhelming response was that they didn’t want to see so much promotional content. They wanted to see interesting posts.
Facebook is rewarding quality, not quantity
Therefore, Facebook decided to reward those that created quality content that their audience really wanted to hear about rather than the constant promotions and gimmicks that are so frequently posted.
Facebook is less and less likely to show overly promotional posts that use calls to action and push for sales, to enter competitions etc.
Facebook will seek out those posts that gain interactions such as likes, shares and comments which show they are quality, relevant posts and they will help these posts to reach a wider audience.
Overall, the Facebook algorithm is rewarding those pages who post less and focus on quality rather than those which post numerous times each day that is not of much interest to the audience.
Too many people trying to widen their reach when it drops by posting more often (up to 10 times per day), but this is simply going to work against you.
To increase your reach, you need to make sure you write your posts for what your target audience wants to hear and read. Stop trying to sell so much and concentrate more on giving value and starting to build trust and relationships.
You can still promote your business of course but use your language carefully.
Rather than saying ‘click the link to buy’ try something along the lines of ‘there is something amazing awaiting you on the other side – go check it out’. Do you see the difference?
A few other tips include:
Schedule posts from Facebook rather than a third party software
Some people believe that third party apps, such as scheduling posts from HootSuite, Buffer or similar, will affect reach.
I have tried to get conclusive answers to this but there is so much conflicting information out there. If your reach is significantly dropping and you use third party apps, it may be worth trialing using Facebook’s own scheduler for a while and seeing if it makes any difference. (Do let me know the results in the comments box).
Upload videos directly to Facebook, not via YouTube links
There is numerous research that Facebook favour videos that are uploaded directly to its site rather than via links from YouTube. According to a study by Loren Baker of Search Engine Journal, they discovered that on average, native videos reach 2.04 times more people, receive 2.38 times more likes, 2.67 times more shares, and 7.43 times more comments.
Quite simply, Facebook does not like anything that drives traffic away from its site to an external source. Therefore, any post taking the audience away will simply get less reach.
Don’t overuse links to your website.
Leading on from the point above, Facebook wants to keep people on its site, not to take people away to other platforms. I have seen a few people using a new trick to try and get over this were rather than putting the external link in their main post, they create the post and tell people to look in the comments below for where to go for further information. They then simply put the link as a comment below.
Aim to gain interaction.
Facebook will increase reach to those posts that get likes, comments and even the amount of time someone spends viewing the post.
So how you can encourage this?
People like to feel good, laugh, know the latest gossip and news and be shocked! Think how you can use this in your posts. Use motivational posts, let them in on something funny that has happened in your day, give them the latest hot off the press news. These can be the type of posts that will gain likes, comments, and shares. Ask simple but fun questions!
Now for a disclaimer. At the time of writing, I believe my research and findings to be correct. But good old Facebook can change its rules and algorithms at any moment so test what works for you best and keep an eye what others are doing that are getting the interaction you so desperately want.
Happy posting.
P.S. Want a little help getting a post like? Pop the link in the comments below and I will pop over and take a look and if it’s a good one, may just leave you a like and a comment
P.P.S. Do you get stuck when trying to come up with fresh content to post on social media? Does your mind draw a blank and you get confused as to what to post next? Subscribe now to get immediate access to my simple planner and easily create a whole month’s worth of posts to attract more attention to your business.
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by Angela Taffs | Jul 9, 2017 | Sales and Marketing
Are you breaking Facebook rules
Over recent weeks, I have had a number of new ladies join my Facebook group only for them to have their posts deleted and a message being sent explaining why and what to do in future if they want to stay in the group.
I have also had a few ladies contact me as they have found themselves banned from other groups that they were in.
I’m sure the majority of us use other social media groups to build relationships and promote our businesses but before you fall foul and get yourself banned, try adhering to these simple rules.
When joining a new group, before doing anything else, READ THE GROUP RULES
It’s so simple but so many don’t bother to do it. The rules can usually be found in the group description or sometimes at the top of the page as a pinned post. If you don’t read the rules, you are pretty rude and don’t be surprised if you get kicked out.
And here are a few other things to consider:
Mistake 1 – Promoting Yourself in a Non-Promotional Group
It’s quite simple – you will get banned. There are a number of groups that don’t want their feeds saturated with ‘you can make a million in a week – come find out how’ or some other promotional spam. Even if it’s not spam, if it’s a non-promotional group, you can’t promote in it. Simples!! Which part is not understood? It really annoys me that people join my group and can’t be bothered to read the description and group rules. if they are that lazy, I simply ban them.
Mistake 2 Jumping on Someone Else’s Post to Promote Yourself
This is what happens. Someone asks a question or starts a conversation. They strike up a conversation with their ideal client and are building a relationship with them by giving them valuable help and advice. You see this and decide to jump on board. You leap in to tell the ideal client what you can do to help them and tell them to get in contact.
Let me tell you, THIS IS PLAIN BLOODY RUDE AND UNACCEPTABLE
Don’t be so lazy. Go start some conversations of your own.
Mistake 3 Sending Friend Requests and Private Messaging Other Members
This has to be one of the biggest irritants of all time. It’s false. It’s spammy. It makes you look unprofessional and desperate.
Before approaching anyone privately, you need to build a relationship with them. Not just jump on them as soon as you see a glimmer of an ideal client.
If you are genuinely offering free help to them or giving them some valuable advice in private, then ok. But if your sole intention is to sell to them, don’t be surprised if they report you to admin and you get yourself banned instantly from the group.
Mistake 4 – Joining a Group and Making your First Post a Promotion
Why would you do this? Again, it makes you look unprofessional and desperate. You wouldn’t go to a dinner party where you didn’t know anyone, walk into the room and start shouting at everyone what you do. You would (if you have any manners) walk in, introduce yourself, ask others what they do and get to know people a little first.
You need to start building relationships and trust before bleating about what you do. I would suggest at least a couple of weeks of interacting with others and getting the feel of the group before any type of promotion.
Mistake 5 – Arguing with Admin
Yes, sending private messages to admin that you have a special case for promoting your latest craze and telling them how to run their group is likely to get you banned also. I have had a few of these in the past where people have contacted me to say how everyone wants promotions to be allowed freely so I ought to change the rules. Nope!! My group. My rules. If they don’t like it they can go somewhere else.
In future, use some common sense and some manners when joining groups for the first time. Yes, we all mistakes but learn from them and be respectful to others. Alternatively, set up your own group and do whatever you want!
by Angela Taffs | Nov 16, 2015 | Sales and Marketing
Do you rely heavily on Facebook for your marketing? If so ….
Are you aware of the perils of using Facebook?
On Monday the Facebook page for the world’s largest social media magazine, Social Media Examiner, disappeared. Yep! Gone completely without warning! This page had over 380,000 followers and is an excellent source of information but for some unknown reason it went!
The owner, Michael Steizner, posted this message on his own Facebook page.
And this message appeared on their Google+ page.
What transpired from messages posted in response was this has happened to numerous followers ranging from pages with fans of just a few hundred to one with over 3 million followers!!!
This proves that can happen to anyone at any level. I personally know of a lady who sold handbags through her Facebook page and had just over 4000 followers. Overnight her page disappeared and she lost contact with all these prospective customers. She had to start from scratch again and in the meantime her business basically stopped.
So please don’t sit back and think it will never happen to you. Hopefully, it won’t but any business should put plans in place to protect themselves should it happen to you.
Remember, something like this can happen to anyone and any business and once your page is gone, it’s gone!! You are unlikely to ever get it back.
As a business, you don’t own your fans or your page so if your page goes you lose contact with these people.
What can cause my Facebook page to disappear
There are a number of reasons why a Facebook page can disappear such as:
- An administrator deleting or un-publishing the page. Make sure you know who has access to make changes to your page and remove anyone who should not have permission anymore.
- A breach of Facebook guidelines. So many Facebook users are totally unaware of the guidelines. One of the most common breaches I see are pages running competitions and asking for likes and shares in order to enter which is a direct breach. If this gets spotted and reported you are in serious danger of your page being removed.
- Using your personal profile as a business page. Again, this is a breach of Facebook guidelines. If you haven’t already read it, have a read of the article Facebook Business Page vs Personal Page
- Technical issues. It appears this may be the case with Social Media Examiner and their page has now been restored. However, there is no guarantee that once your page has gone that it can be recovered.
The key lesson here is DO NOT put all your eggs in one basket. Do not purely rely on one social media platform for all your marketing. Always make sure you list build so that whatever happens outside of your control, you have a database of email addresses that allows you to retain contact with your prospects and fans.
What can I do to get my Facebook fans onto my mailing list?
Here are a few tips to help you get your Facebook fans onto your mailing list:
Have an opt-in form
Put an opt-in form on your website so that when you post your blog on your Facebook page and readers get taken to your site, they have the option to sign up. Put one in the sidebar and at the top or bottom of your blog posts so that people can easily subscribe to get future news and information delivered directly to their inbox.
Offer an incentive
In order to make it more attractive for people to sign up, offer them a freebie to download when they sign up. If you are in the holiday home industry this could be something such as ‘Top 10 things to look for when booking a holiday’ or ‘A guide to choosing a colour for your home’ if you are an interior designer.
Post links to your opt-in form
Make sure you have a link to your opt-in form everywhere you can. Use Facebook apps to add one to your business page and include the link at the bottom of your Facebook posts.
Ask for email addresses in groups
If you are in a group on Facebook and someone asks a question which you take the time to answer, ask them for their email address to send some further information. Send them a little extra info and let them know you will add them to your mailing list (with the option to unsubscribe) for any future news.
Ask interactive fans for their email address
When a person comments on one of your posts you now have the option to send them a message (see pic below). Use this to thank them for their comment and to invite them to join your mailing list (remember to send them the link).
So now you know the perils of using Facebook and to how to protect yourself.
I hope you have found this article useful and please share the love and pass it on to anyone else you know who has a Facebook business page.
by Angela Taffs | Jan 16, 2015 | Sales and Marketing
What everybody ought to know about using a personal page for promoting their business on Facebook
Are you still using your personal Facebook page for promoting your business? If you are, stop right now!
Facebook may remove it
I see so many of these so just have to share some words of warning about using your personal page for business use. Facebook frowns upon using a personal profile for business use and I have known a few people who have had their pages removed for doing this. They had built up a significant following but had their business name on the page rather than just their own name which got flagged up to the powers that be at Facebook ivory towers. I only know of one lady who had a polite warning and told to change it but I know of two others whose pages just disappeared! All their Facebook contacts gone and nothing they could do about it.
Keep your personal and business life separate
Aside from this, you really want to try and keep your personal and business persona’s separate. You may have just started up a small business which you promoted to your inner circle of family and friends but as your business grows you will want to widen this audience. Do you really want strangers seeing photos of you on a night out? Is this giving a professional image to your business? And even if you don’t have the tendency to go out on a Saturday night and roll around the floor drunk, are you comfortable with potential clients seeing your innermost personal conversations with friends and family? And again, even if you don’t post much personal information on your page, you have no control over what your darling friends may post on your wall that has the danger of causing embarrassment.
You will lose potential followers
Another significant problem with using a personal page is that people who don’t know you can’t ‘follow’ or ‘like’ you as a business. They have to add you as a friend which then in turn allows you to see all of their personal information on their Facebook page. People who don’t know you are unlikely to be comfortable doing this and you will miss out on an opportunity to connect with people outside of your circle of friends.
If you are using a personal page to market your business on Facebook, go change it now and invite your friends across to like it. Even easier than that, Facebook has made it easier to migrate your personal page to a business page if you wish and they have an easy to follow guide here.
And once you have your new Facebook page set up, pop over to The Small Business Kit and share it for others to see.
*If you would like to know more in depth detail about Facebook marketing and how to make it work for your business visit The Small Business Kit and become a member today, all for less than your weekly vanilla latte!
