How to Radically Improve Your Facebook optimisation

Facebook optimisation through organic content- content that simply displays in a feed, without payment or campaigns- can be one of the most difficult content types to grow, thanks to the power of the Facebook algorithm. Yet it also offers one of the best possible ROIs, because what’s better than free? Growing your organic Facebook marketing may seem like an uphill journey, but it’s one well worth building into your social media marketing efforts. Here’s some tips from the Zebra 360 Digital Advertising Agency team to help you on your way.

Know Your WVCR
As with all organic online advertising efforts, you need data- and lots of it- to know what content is a hit, and what is a miss. Luckily, there’s Meta’s Widely Viewed Content Report (WVCR) on hand to help. Generated each quarter, this report lets marketers see what domains and pages are driving views and clicks.It’s also packed with best practices and algorithm tips to help you utilise the platform better. And it’s all focused on organic content. There’s one caveat for South African users, however- the data is focused on the US market, and doesn’t include stories. All the same, many of the insights can help you develop a stronger organic Facebook marketing strategy, and is well worth monitoring.

Get Shareable
The key to a successful organic Facebook strategy is to create high-quality content that resonates with your target audience. Your content should be visually appealing, informative, and engaging- things people want to share. Use a mix of formats such as images, videos, text posts, and live videos to keep your audience interested, and track how each is performing to better tailor your activities. The Facebook Business Suite can help you find ideas and insights into what people want to see from businesses like yours.

Be wary of heavy-handed CTAs, however, especially those directly referencing sharing. Facebook will de-prioritise these, calling them ‘engagement bait’. Posting consistently is important to maintain engagement with your audience. Develop a content calendar to help you plan your posts in advance and ensure that you’re posting regularly.

It also pays to avoid problematic content, like violence, hate-speak, exaggerated health and beauty claims, things disproved by fact checkers, and problematic business models, too Unoriginal content will also be de-prioritised.

Join Groups
While not all Facebook Groups allow business pages to join, interesting group posts have been shown to contribute up to 17% of the feed traffic for content- traffic you need. Of course, you will need to stick to the group’s rules around content, and provide entertaining, interesting posts with value for group members. But it can be a great way to expand your organic audience. Engaging with your audience is key to building relationships and creating brand loyalty. Respond promptly to comments and messages, and actively participate in the Facebook groups you’ve chosen, which should be related to your niche.

Use the Unconnected Distribution Algorithm
While the lion’s share of a typical Facebook feed comes from creation and sharing via friends, followers, and groups, about 15% will be affected by the unconnected distribution system- people not following your page. Have you seen content on your feed marked as a ‘sponsored post’? That’s the system in action. You can set up an auto-prompt to reach out to new people who react or comment on your posts. Remember that ‘thoughtful and respectful conversations’ are prioritised, and create your content accordingly.

Reduce External Links
LInk shares are de-prioritized by the Facebook algorithm, so it pays to steer away from them. Link posts will reach a far smaller percentage of your audience, and are more-or-less ignored by the unconnected distribution side. Of course, this doesn’t mean no content can appear with links, but that which does will do little to contribute to your organic reach. You can bypass this in some cases by sharing the link in your comments, rather than in the caption.

Watch the Competition
As always, it pays to keep an eye on what your competitors are creating and sharing, too. It’s a great way to extend your content ideas and find content which is relevant to your niche and audience. Of course, you should be looking at competitors with strong engagement and active, well-performing content! The Facebook Business Suite can help you keep an eye on competitor content.

While building organic content for your digital marketing isn’t easy, it’s well worth doing. If you’re looking for more tips and tricks for online marketing, or need help growing the organic reach of your business, feel free to chat to the Zebra 360 Digital Marketing Agency team today- we are always here to help!