With each change of the Facebook algorithm, the average organic reach plummets even more. According to social@Ogilvy, this average will reach close to zero by the end of the year. Keeping that in mind, here are some tips for Facebook users and companies alike to combat the algorithm and hopefully up the engagement in your online social marketing strategy!

1. Content, content, content!

I cannot stress how important it is to have quality over quantity. Great content will be noticed, and when it is, it will naturally lead to more engagement and shares from your fans, or as Aaron Schwartz from Modify Watches in an article on Mashable says, “the best content will always rise to the top”. Another great way to think about the significance of content is laid out by Jay Baer from an article on Inc., “People are on the internet for one of two reasons…, either to solve a problem or to be entertained”. So make sure your post is either a solution or at least can elicit a laugh or spark some kind of interest!

2. Use of smart tools to plan your posts

There are many useful tools on the internet (some of which are even free!) that everyone should use. They can help find the optimal time for posts to be published (such as Hootsuite or Buffer) or even help you plan out what to post by discovering which content is most popular (such as TrendSpottr or BuzzSumo).

3. A/B Tests

Like good old science experiments, testing out your posts to see which one gets more responses and interaction among your fans will help you improve your posts. Many companies fail to execute A/B tests, and post content without analyzing historical results, however, as mentioned in our eMarketing class, sometimes the smallest adjustments to a simple post, such as the addition of “–>” will increase the amount of eyeballs and clicks!

4. Facebook Ads

Paid media does exist for a reason, and although many companies may think that it is a waste of money, but spending a little effort (money-wise) may bring surprising effects. It will help reach more audience with greater accuracy as said by an article called Facebook Organic Reach: 5 Facts for Businesses or if you are a more visual person, this video from Digital Marketer does a great job summarizing the usefulness of boosting posts!