Facebook is all about connecting—connecting individuals to their friends and family members, but also connecting brands to their consumer base. Actually, using Facebook to facilitate meaningful brand interactions has become increasingly difficult for small business owners because Facebook has made a number of changes that put small companies at a disadvantage. For one thing, recent algorithmic shifts favor personal Facebook pages over business accounts—meaning the posts from a small business page are less visible than they used to be. In addition, Facebook continues to emphasize the need for paid ads in addition to winsome content, which means that small companies looking to expand their reach often feel as though they must up their budget to do so.

These problems are not insignificant, but neither are they insurmountable. With the right Facebook strategy—one based on how Facebook’s algorithms actually work—companies can maximize the reach of their posts and earn better visibility for their brand.

Boosting the Visibility of Your Facebook Posts

Here are some pointers we can offer:

Engage your audiences with photos and graphics. A picture’s worth a thousand words, and, in the case of Facebook, a lot more eyeballs than a just-text post would get you. Note that you’re going to want to minimize the text on your image, especially if you plan on promoting the post. Anything more than 20 percent text will land you in trouble with Facebook’s advertising standards. Save the text for your caption, if at all possible.

Make your posts feel funny and creative. You want to be professional, but not stuffy. The whole point of Facebook is to make your company seem real, not like a faceless corporate entity. Behind-the-scenes photos and videos, or posts that incorporate some humor, can go a long way toward generating more engagement.

Be positive. Facebook is often maligned as a bastion of negativity—especially in an election year—but actually, studies show that the posts that receive the most attention tend to be the ones that are inspirational in their messaging. Keep things positive, cheerful, and empowering.

Don’t try to game the system. You can’t outsmart Facebook, so it’s best to just play by the rules. Buying likes, bombarding your fans with a dozen updates per hour, using cheap clickbait headlines—you’re not the first person to devise any of these strategies, and they’re simply not going to get the results you’re after.

Share evergreen content. Posts that have a longer shelf life—i.e., posts about topics that will still be relevant in a day’s or even a week’s time—will be shown in newsfeeds over longer periods of time.

Consider your timing. It’s not just about what you post, but when, and boosting your reach means sharing content at a time when more people are going to be online. Check your Facebook Insights to see when your fans are most engaged, and post content during those peak hours.

These are just a few strategies that can help you get more mileage out of your Facebook posts—but really, these matters are best considered in the context of an integrative marketing strategy. Contact the enCOMPASS Agency team today to learn more about what that means.