When it comes to social media, one of the worst feelings is knowing that your posts aren’t reaching as many people as they could be. That’s especially if you spend a lot of time crafting engaging content and working hard to build a strong following.
Unfortunately, if you’re experiencing this, you’re not alone. Across all social media platforms, organic reach is on the decline, with many users experiencing a drop in engagement and follower growth. However, there are several strategies you can use to maximize your reach and ensure that more people are seeing your posts.
In this guide, we’ll discuss 7 key tactics you can use to boost your social media reach. From posting at optimal times and using the right types of content to joining relevant groups and collaborating with others, there are plenty of ways to get more eyes on your content.
What Does Reach Mean?
To make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s start by reviewing what social media reach is and why it matters. At its simplest, social media reach refers to the number of people who see your content on their news feeds. The factors going into this metric vary based on the social media platform’s algorithm, but typically, the more followers you have and engagement your posts get, the higher your reach will be.
This metric is so important because it can impact everything from your follower growth to your brand’s visibility online. In other words, having a higher social media reach means more people see your content – which helps you build relationships with potential customers, drive traffic to your website, and increase sales.
7 Ways to Maximize Your Reach on Social Media
Boosting your organic reason isn’t mission impossible, however – with the right strategies in place, you can increase your visibility and make sure more people see your content. Here are 7 key tactics you can use:
1. Optimize Your Profiles
The very first step to boosting your reach on social media is making sure your profiles are fully optimized. Don’t leave anything out, and take the time to fill out all of the required fields.
On top of that,
- Think carefully about your username (it should be easy to remember and should give away a little bit about your brand).
- Include a keyword-rich bio that describes what you do.
- Add a trackable link to your website or a landing page.
- Use a high-resolution profile picture that represents your brand well.
By optimizing your profiles, you’re signaling to social media platforms that your content is worth paying attention to, which can help increase your reach.
2. Don’t Focus Too Much on Peak Hours
This might come as a surprise, but focusing too much on posting at peak hours isn’t the best way to boost your organic reach. Why? Because everyone else is focusing on the same thing, and this causes your posts to be lost in the shuffle.
Instead, try posting at slower times. These don’t have to be too far away from peak hours or even “off-peak” hours – simply experiment with different times and see what works best for your brand. You’ll be surprised at how effective this can be.
Plus, it’s worth noting that the more your followers engage with your content, the more your content will show up to them – regardless of the time you post.
3. Experiment With Videos
If there’s one fact that you need to know about social media, it’s that video content is the future. People love watching videos online, and we’re seeing a very visible shift toward this type of content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
You might feel that you don’t have the resources to create high-quality videos, but that’s not necessarily true. You can start off small by taking short clips and editing them together using free tools like Capcut and InShot or even use platforms’ native video editing capabilities, like Instagram and TikTok.
And content-wise, you don’t have to do something super flashy – simple, informative videos that directly address your audience can be just as effective. You can even repurpose your existing content into video form. For example, you can turn a popular blog post or podcast episode into a short video that you can share on social media.
By experimenting with videos, you’re maximizing your reach by catering to the growing demand for video content. Just keep an eye on your analytics as you test out different types of videos, and make tweaks as needed.
4. Lead With Value
A common mistake businesses make is focusing on selling on social media. And while there’s nothing wrong with promoting your products or services, there has to be some value thrown into the mix. Users have come to expect high-quality content that’s informative and engaging, even if it’s promotional.
Ideally, 80% of your content should be educational or entertaining, with the other 20% being promotional. That 80% will bring you new followers and increased visibility, so focus on creating content that delivers value. And once you establish trust with your audience, you can gradually start including more promotional content.
And guess what? When you start selling, the process of sales becomes much easier. So focus on delivering value first, and you’ll be rewarded with more reach and engagement on social media.
5. Engage With Your Audience
We all know those pages with posts that have hundreds of comments, yet no one responds to them. If you want your posts to stand out and be seen, then you need to respond back to people who have commented on your content.
This is for two reasons. First, it signals to your followers that you’re actively engaged with them – and that makes them more likely to spend time on your page and engage with your content in the future. Second, it shows platforms that people love what you’re sharing (which is why they’re engaging with it), and this can boost your organic reach.
When you’re constantly engaging with your audience, you’re getting more visibility on social media because your posts will continue to be seen by more and more people on their news feeds. So make it a goal to respond to everyone who comments on your posts and see how much further you can take your reach.
6. Collaborate With Relevant Brands/Influencers
One of the best ways to increase your reach on social media is to collaborate with other brands or influencers that share similar values and audiences. By working together, you’re able to leverage each other’s audiences and expand your reach exponentially.
For example, let’s say you own a skincare brand, and there’s another brand that focuses on natural products. By collaborating with that brand, you’re able to tap into each other’s followers and boost your visibility through cross-promotion. You can create joint giveaways or challenge each other’s audiences to try out new products – whatever makes sense for your audience.
This is a great way to give your followers the opportunity to explore new brands and products that they might not have discovered otherwise. And as long as the collaboration is authentic and beneficial to both brands, it can be a win-win for everyone involved.
7. Make Your Posts Reachable
As social media platforms continue to become more competitive and cluttered, it’s become increasingly difficult for your posts to reach all of your followers. And while organic reach is still a big factor in your visibility on social media, you can take steps to ensure that people who don’t follow you see your posts as well.
One way to do this is to include a call-to-action (CTA) button in your posts. These buttons can be used to redirect followers to another page and are also visible to people who don’t follow you. So if someone sees a post on their news feed that catches their attention, they can just click the CTA button to get more information – and you’ll see an increase in your reach across platforms.
Another way to make your posts more reachable is to use trending hashtags. By including a hashtag that’s popular at the moment, you’re more likely to be discovered by new followers who are browsing through similar content. This can help you expand your reach and grow your audience even further.
Finally, use locations and geotags to your advantage. Many social media platforms allow you to geo-target your posts, which means that people who are within a certain location will be more likely to see them. That’s why so many businesses include the location of their stores or offices in their posts – they’re trying to capture the attention of people who are nearby.
It’s Time to Reach More People!
While these 7 techniques may seem simple, they can have a huge impact on your reach on social media. By putting them into action along with your existing social media strategy, you’ll be able to take your visibility to the next level and connect with even more people on your favorite platforms.
Yes, organic reach is declining, and social media is becoming increasingly competitive. Still, with the right approach and a bit of persistence, there’s no reason why you can’t reach more people than ever before. So start trying out these tips today, and see how far your reach can go!
P.S.: If you run into any challenges along the way, be sure to seek the help of our team at ShiftWeb. We help businesses of all sizes and industries to maximize their reach on social media through a combination of strategy, content, and promotion. Contact us today to learn more!