Are you struggling to maintain organic reach on social media amidst the ever-changing landscape of algorithms and user preferences? You’re not alone, as many marketers and businesses are facing similar challenges. But don’t fret, as there are strategies and alternatives to help you thrive in 2024 and beyond.
Why is organic reach declining? In a nutshell, factors such as algorithm changes prioritizing personal connections and relevant content, increased content saturation, and the shift towards promoting paid advertising models have led to a decline in organic reach on social media platforms.
To navigate this volatile environment, it’s crucial to understand the factors behind this decline and adapt your strategy accordingly. This blog post delves deep into the causes of dwindling organic reach, and offers innovative alternatives and tactics to keep your brand’s content in front of your target audience. Read on for valuable insights that might just be the game-changer your social media presence needs.
Understanding Organic Reach on Social Media Platforms
Before unraveling the intricate reasons behind the dwindling organic reach on social media, let’s first touch upon what makes this reach so sought after. Organic reach, in the realm of social media, refers to the number of people who are made privy to certain content without the application of paid distribution. Essentially, these users stumble upon the content out of sheer chance, without financial promotion playing any role.
This chance encounter of content is generally made possible through the platform’s algorithm that decides to feature the content on users’ feeds. This decision is usually based on certain factors like users’ previous engagement with similar content or the relevance of the content to users’ search histories or expressed interests.
However, despite its apparent simplicity of operation and perceived fairness, the concept of organic reach on social media platforms is a contentious issue among marketers and businesses. The reason behind this? It has been observing a steady decline, which spells unfavorable news for brands and businesses trying to increase their visibility without burning a hole in their marketing budgets.
Factors Contributing to the Decline of Organic Reach
The consistent dwindling of organic reach has been a trending topic in the social media marketing sector, causing worry and concern among many. While multiple factors contribute to this decline, three stand out as the most significant culprits:
- Algorithm changes: These changes favor personal connections and relevant content over organic brand promotions. This means that content from family members, friends, and topics the user has expressed interest in gets prioritized over content from brands.
- Increased content volume: With millions of businesses using social media for promotions, the sheer volume of posted content has increased dramatically, leading to saturation. This high level of competition makes it difficult to achieve high organic reach.
- Shift towards paid advertising models: With social media platforms looking for ways to increase their profits, there has been a noticeable shift towards promoting and giving preference to paid advertising models over organic content.
The Impact of Algorithms on Content Visibility
Operational algorithms are essential to how social media platforms decide what content to show. Over the years, these programs have grown exponentially more sophisticated, incorporating elements of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The direct result of these technological advancements is a change in how content is distributed.
Today’s algorithms prioritize user engagement, relevancy, and past interactions, essentially zeroing in on factors that augment the personalized experience of users. Subsequently, these platforms continuously tweak their algorithms to offer more refined and tailored content, often at the expense of visibility for organic content.
While this latest turn of events does pose challenges to businesses and content creators alike, it also conveys the importance of organically generating engaging and relevant content to reach the right audience. Hootsuite, a premier social media management platform, suggests that “Organic social media marketing is far from dead. But the way marketers think about organic reach needs to change.” (source).
A Call to Create Compelling Content and the Significance Therein
As the traditional rules for achieving organic reach become more stringent, the responsibility now falls on brands to organically create content that truly stands out. It’s not just about creating content that caters to users’ preferences but also about respecting the operational paradigms of different platforms’ algorithms (which we discussed earlier).
That essentially sums up to creating ‘truly creative and compelling’ content that stands a better chance in the intensely competitive arena of social media platforms. The more your content resonates with the users and the platform algorithms, the higher the chances of your brand excelling in the increasingly stringent algorithm environment of 2024.
Increasingly, marketers are recognizing that the trend is moving towards creating engaging content that elicits a strong response. In fact, our own article titled 5 Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing elucidated on the need for businesses to focus on creating quality content that strikes a chord with their audience.
Source: TrafficSoda
The State of Organic Reach in the Industry
Despite the numerous challenges, organic reach is far from being a lost cause. Marketers and businesses that understand the changing landscape are finding intelligent ways to navigate the situation. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that they need to change their perspective on organic reach.
According to a report by Meta, “Understanding those ranking factors is the key to organic reach.” (source). This means that rather than fighting the changing algorithm, content creators must strive to understand it better and then use this knowledge to make content that works in harmony with these changes.
The future of organic reach on social media might be challenging, but it is certainly not a losing battle. With the right understanding, adjustment of expectations, and a dedicated commitment to creating high-quality, engaging content, you can ensure that your brand stays relevant and visible to your target audience.
Developing a Consistent and Strategic Content Plan
In the face of declining organic reach, a solid foundation begins with building a consistent and strategic content plan. Regularly posted content not only keeps your brand at the top of your followers’ feeds, but it also fosters a sense of community and relationship with them. The golden rule – quality over quantity – has never been more important.
The true key to success lies in the quality and engagement of your content, which requires careful and intentional planning. By establishing a content calendar, you can effectively strategize your posting schedule, ensuring your content remains fresh, relevant, and meaningful.
Tailoring Content for Each Social Media Platform
Each social media platform has unique characteristics, user behaviors, and algorithm nuances. According to Meta for Business, “Understanding those ranking factors is the key to organic reach.” Your content must be tailored and optimized for the specific platform it’s posted on to maximize its potential reach.
Great content goes hand in hand with understanding which formats work best on each platform. For instance, a data-rich vertical infographic may be best suited for Pinterest, while a short and snappy video might generate more engagement on TikTok. Realizing these nuances and tailoring your strategy can significantly improve the visibility of your posts.
Providing Real Value Through Organic Content
To resonate with your audience and drive engagement, organic content must provide real value.
As a brand, your aim should be to:
- Inform: Share your expertise, provide helpful tips and tricks, or present industry trends.
- Entertain: Create enjoyable content that individuals would like to share with their networks.
- Inspire: Share stories, achievements, or showcase your team or customers.
- Connect: Respond to comments and messages, hold Q&A sessions, and maintain open lines of communication.
Organic content needs to go beyond just promoting products or services. It should be aimed at building relationships and fostering conversations.
Engaging the Brand’s Community and Employees
Another powerful and underutilized tool at your disposal for expanding reach is your own community—both your consumers and your employees—acting as brand advocates. This strategy revolves around actively engaging with your community and leveraging these relationships to improve organic reach on social media platforms.
Encourage your followers to interact with your posts, share them, and contribute to discussions. Similarly, involve your employees in your social media strategy and encourage them to share your content. Employee advocacy sends positive signals to social media algorithms, increasing your potential reach significantly.
Highlighting Brand Values and Asking for Engagement
Another potent method of combatting declining reach is by reinforcing your brand’s values and directly asking for engagement. According to Traffic Soda, “Showcasing the talent, diversity, and values that are already part of your company’s community,” is integral. Consumers increasingly want to do business with organizations that align with their own values, so there’s no better way to attract and engage with devoted followers than by showing them your true colours.
Furthermore, do not be shy about simply asking for likes, shares, or comments—this direct approach can yield surprisingly concrete results!
Collaborating with Other Users, Brands, and Influencers
Finally, collaboration can be an incredibly powerful tool for increasing your organic reach. Partnership opportunities could involve working with influencers in your industry, collaborating with a non-competing brand for a giveaway, or simply tagging another user in your posts. Each form of partnership can significantly expand your audience while remaining cost-effective.
By following these strategies, you’re significantly more likely to stop the decline of organic reach for your brand in 2024 and beyond while setting the stage for ongoing growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Should I Select Which Social Media Platforms to Focus On?
Assess your target audience’s behavior, preferences, and demographic indications to determine where your potential consumers are likely to spend their online time. This information can help you make educated decisions regarding which platform(s) to focus your efforts on.
How Frequently Should I Post on Social Media Platforms?
The frequency of posting should be determined by your ability to consistently provide high-quality and engaging content. Over-posting can lead to a decline in quality and annoy followers, while under-posting can lead to missed opportunities.
How Do I Engage My Employees in Social Media Efforts?
Firstly, maintain a sense of transparency regarding your strategy and objectives. Organize social media trainings or workshops, and encourage them to share your content. You can also create opportunities for “employee spotlights” in your content calendar to highlight individual contributions.
How do Collaborations Benefit My Organic Reach?
Collaborations can expose your content to the audience of the brand/person you’re collaborating with, giving your brand immense visibility. It’s an effective way of reaching new potential customers who might already hold interest in your industry or product type.
What Types of Content Generate Most Engagement?
There’s no hard and fast rule here as it greatly depends on your audience and the social media platforms you’re using. However, videos and user-generated content tend to drive high engagement. Trial and error, along with regular analysis of your engagement metrics, are crucial to figuring out what works best for your brand.
