Facebook decreases organic reach

A year ago we analysed how the reach of brands’ content on Facebook was decreasing – the same content reached less people than in previous months.

Then, yesterday, AdAge revealed details of a sales deck distributed by Facebook, declaring its own strategy regarding paid media. According to the deck, it will become more important for brands to invest in paid media to be sure that posts reach their communities.

As Facebook phrase it themselves:

We expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline over time as we continually work to make sure people have a meaningful experience on the site.

Whatever you might feel about Facebook’s move, and the motives behind it, the fact that over time, without supporting media spend, brands will reach less and less of their communities with each update is now incontestable.

However, it’s important to note that investing in paid media is just one step – it’s not a complete social media strategy. Great content that generates a higher level of engagement spreads quicker and reaches more people, given the same level of media investment.

For this reason, it’s increasingly important for brands to study their target audience, to develop a relevant editorial strategy and to use creative content that’s appropriate to those they’re trying to communicate with.

Content, in this case, is “fuel” for conversation. And the investment brands make to build their communities is still very important, as it allows them to optimise their paid media investment.

In the Facebook deck in question, titled “Generating business results on Facebook”, Facebook highlights the importance of strategy and creative applied to content, suggesting a few relevant points:

In other words, the importance of paid media is increasing on Facebook, but what’s even more relevant than ever, is the role of a strategic and creative approach to content and conversation.