7 Ways to Find Your Community on Facebook and How You Can Boost Your Reach (Organically)

Although many of our fellow marketers are insistent that organic reach is out on Facebook, that’s not 100% accurate.

Is it more difficult?
Yes!
Impossible?
No.

And we want to prove that to you.

The topic of declining organic Facebook reach is running rampant. It causes headaches upon headaches and some pretty intense debates within our marketing community. 

Why is this? There’s one reason.
Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm.

So what’s up right now?
The importance of establishing meaningful interactions and meaningful relationships.
They’re going back to their roots.

Which is where we begin with Creating a Community on Facebook.

Facebook is prioritizing content from friends, family and Facebook Groups over all business pages. (thanks a lot Facebook business page spammers) 

When these changes dropped, it was crystal clear that Facebook was no longer putting business content on the front line, instead they were putting the meaningful and interactive posts on top.

Which means, those friend requests that you receive and those that you request…
They want you to establish relationships with these people. (not just invite them to like your business page or pitch right away in DM’s)

GASP
Imagine that

But that’s just ONE tip - there’s so much more you can do.

Here are some proven ways you can Build Your Community on Facebook and Boost Your Reach (organically).

Facebook Video & Lives

If you are really ready to improve your reach, it’s time to start capitalizing on one of the most attractive and easy-to-consume content formats - VIDEO. 

UGH…
You’re dreading it.
We get it.

But here’s why you need to be doing this.

Videos achieve a higher organic reach rate than ANY other content format.

Statuses - NOPE
Links - NOPE
Photos - NOPE.

Videos = 135% more viewers organically than ANY other format.

So, how do you make the most of the format?

By creating scroll stopping content.
Emotionally charged.
Understanding your audiences’ needs and showing up for them in a clear manner.
Offer solutions to their problems.
Deliver the most valuable and compelling information in the first 3-5 seconds to engage viewers. 

AND to make sure that you’re laser focused on community building, don’t preoccupy your videos with too much branding. Instead, just focus on your peeps and delivering high-quality content.

Switch up Your Post Formats

So, you now know that video can boost your Facebook organic reach and connect with your community, cool, but it should never be the ONLY content that you’re leveraging on Facebook.

Mix it up.
Keep your feed looking attractive and keep your community interested.
The more interesting your content, the higher chance your community will share it > what does that do?

Increase your organic reach.

So let’s see how this looks:  

1. Create Images Without Links. We downloaded WordSwag ($4.99 investment) and we change up our images all the time.

2. Create Stories > sure you can share from your Instagram to your Facebook page, but why not just save the post from Instagram to your phone and then post it organically onto Facebook?

3. Share YOUR Quotes

4. Ask Questions

5. Share GIFs > our fave! 

6. Create Polls > this is a great way to poll your audience for content ideas, program ideas, etc. 

7. Share Blog Posts

Really… the sky’s the limit for content topics. But if you’re at a loss, we have a 31-Day Content Calendar that you can download and keep right on the wall or saved to your phone.

Know When to Publish Your Content

Getting your publishing time right is absolutely essential to improving your reach and growing your community.

Why is that?
Well duh.

You want to post when your audience is online. 

Your first step to figuring out optimal posting times > analytics and nailing down the pattern of your interactions. 

For example, if you see your engagement regularly going up on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 pm, it's a hint you should publish at that time.

TLBC Tip: If you want your community to see your content every time you publish, ask them to turn on their notifications for your posts. It's a great way to improve your visibility organically AND it’s a beautiful way to help your community TRUST you to show up. 

Facebook Groups

Our all-time favorite way to really build/boost your community on Facebook… Facebook Groups! 

Getting your content out in Groups allows you to connect with people from all over the World. As a result, you can reach a large user segment that is relevant to your business and therefore more likely to click-through on your posts. 

And the coolest thing about it all… you can start your own Facebook Group (if you didn’t know this, have you been hiding under a rock?). Starting your own Group is a great way to bring your community all together under one roof, improve your Facebook reach organically, build your email list, create a strong bond between your community AND warm up your leads to buy from you. 

Here are just a few of our favorite Facebook Groups we hang out in:

The Lit Up and Loaded Entrepreneur with Lacey Sites
Boss Moms with Dana Malstaff
The Feminine Affluent Entrepreneur with Melissa Pharr
Visible AF with Julia Wells
The VA Hangout with Naomi Hall & Sandi Griffin (that’s us)
Women Helping Women Entrepreneurs
Official Kajabi User Group (because we’re obsessed with Kajabi)

Encourage Your Community to Engage

Sometimes, you just have to ask. 

So, those subtle tactics you are using, your audience/community might not be aware of it. Sometimes you just need to give them a CLEAR call to action. 

Here are some calls to action you can use on Facebook:

“Turn on post notifications so you don’t miss anything from us(me)”
“Like, comment and share - get the word out”
“Sign up for my weekly newsletter”
“Book a call to learn more”
“Download my freebie”
“Click the link below to read my blog”

Humanize Your Facebook aka Be More Human

Humanize your brand.
Simple as that.

Personalize your engagement. When you start to show up genuinely as you and really show that you care about your community, people will feel more connected to you. Know.Like.Trust. You know what they will begin to do? They will feel more compelled to spread your message. 

Ask thoughtful questions.
Interact genuinely.
Learn about your followers.
Understand them.
Get clear on their behaviors.

Then…
Tailor your content accordingly. 

Energize Your Audience

It’s time to use the algorithm to your advantage. 

Knowing what we know, your content is going to get prioritized to friends and family.

Cool.
So how do we use this to our advantage?

We reach out.
We encourage employees, team members, friends, family and friends of family to engage on your content. By doing this you’re going to increase the number of people who share your posts with these private networks - what does this? It boosts your organic reach AND it builds your community of people. 

And because your friends and family really do care about you… like genuinely. Your content is more likely to be consumed.

Wouldn’t you read an article that your bestie wrote and put on Facebook?

We know we would.

Let’s Wrap This Up

So, what do you learn?
Organic Facebook reach is dropping, but it’s not dead… yet.
There are still plenty of ways to combat the ever-changing News Feed algorithm. The game surely has changed, but you can play it well and to your advantage using the tips outlined in this article.

We know that staying ahead of the game and adjusting your Facebook strategy accordingly might seem overwhelming. So, shift away from your “brand” and think about your audience first. Who are you directly speaking to?

Then, you will be able to create incredible content and get more ORGANIC reach to grow your community.

Still unsure about where to start? Check below for a special freebie on how to Get Comfortable on Social Media & How to Survive Your First Live (or just refine it).