Organic reach for business pages on Facebook has been declining for quite some time. As a contractor, you probably find it frustrating that you can’t always reach the homeowners who already like your Facebook page.
Well, there are more Facebook changes on the horizon– those changes bring both good news and bad news.
So, the bad news first: Facebook users (at least on iOS,) now have more control over their news feeds. That means, they directly choose what they want to see first, and everything else rolls across their news feed after what they actually want to see has been exhausted. That means your posts have even less chance of being seen.
In most cases.
This is where the good news comes in. If a homeowner who likes you on Facebook selects your page as one they want to “See First,” you’ll probably reach them with every post.
What Homeowners See First on Facebook
There are a multitude of changes to the Facebook news feed. Facebook explains it here.
You’re probably more interested in what it means for your marketing efforts, though, so let’s turn to Martin Beck over at Marketing Land.
From his post:
Now people will be able to prioritize the friends and Pages whose posts they want to see first. Such posts will appear on the top of users News Feeds with a star displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the post. After the supply of prioritized posts has been exhausted, the regular News Feed mix will take over.
Users will also see pages and friends who appear most often in their news feeds, giving them an easy way to unfollow pages they see too often.
If homeowners don’t like what they see from your page, and if they see you too often, you might be in trouble. Sometimes users are pressured into liking a friend’s business page, and they often get annoyed with recent posts. You’ve probably had that experience yourself.
If users sought you out and voluntarily clicked the ‘like’ button, there’s probably nothing to worry about– especially if what you post is relevant and interesting. Facebook users tend to love posts that show the people behind the company, so start there if you’re not sure about your post quality.
As it tends to do, Facebook will also regularly suggest new pages for users to “like.” If a homeowner has been researching home improvement projects, your page could be one they see in that section.
How to Get Your Page Seen First
So, what do you do now that your page has even less organic reach?
Cultivate a better Facebook page.
A great Facebook page for a contractor business might include:
- How-to videos
- Candid, behind the scenes photos of workers on the job site and employees in the office
- Shared DIY, home improvement content that your audience will like
- Shared content from your audience itself, especially customers
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- Content that’s both entertaining and relevant
If you just flood your audience with promotional content all the time, they’re not going to put you on their “See First” list.
Besides curating a great range of posts, you might have to go about things the old fashioned way– asking homeowners to add you to their “See First” section.
From TechCrunch:
… See First creates a new holy grail for marketers looking to boost their Page’s audience amongst declining reach. Expect brands to campaign for you to add them to your See First section so you never miss their posts.
If you ask homeowners to prioritize your page, you’re going to have to give them something in return-– great content.
If you’re interested in how Facebook’s news feed actually works, Time has a great article here.
Like I always say: Facebook changes, but we can’t change Facebook. We have to work within its confines. As long as we keep up with the latest updates, make posts with our audience (homeowners, in your case) in mind, and do a little planning, though, Facebook is still a useful marketing tool.
To your inbound marketing success!
-Brodie
