Posting photos on Facebook now drives the lowest organic reach
In the past few years, Facebook has shifted from being one of the most easily accessible social media platforms for content marketing into one of the most complex. Not to use, that is, given that Facebook has one of the most user-friendly interfaces on the web, but in terms of being able to effectively reach your audiences through a series of simple tips and tricks. Gone are the days when a basic tactic such as adding a photo to your post would increase its visibility. In fact, photo posts are now amongst the worst performing on Facebook and branded pages. Here we look at why that is, and what you can do to fix it.
Why Facebook cracked down on photo usage
A few years ago, it was common knowledge that adding a branded photo to your Facebook post could increase engagement by up to 80%. This was part of Facebook’s algorithm: the more clickable material was (with images attracting strong rates), the more it would get shown on other peoples’ newsfeeds. This tactic led many page administrators to ‘link-bait’; using photo posts to drive engagement and including a link in the caption. Facebook soon cottoned on, however, and changed their algorithm to favour native link posts.
Does that mean I should never post photos?
So does this Facebook crack down mean that images are no longer a viable digital marketing option on Facebook? Well, the short answer is no. However, you should be aware that simply uploading a photo on top of a link to unrelated material will reduce the likelihood of your post getting shared with your audience. Instead, focus on creating branding assets that will really resonate with your audience – posting material that will give you organic reach regardless of Facebook’s pesky algorithm. One sure fire way to increase your visibility on Facebook is to consider moving into video marketing. Facebook has publicly stated on numerous occasions it sees video becoming the most shareable content in the world, so moving into this form of engagement ahead of the pack could lead to some pretty serious benefits.
Want to find out more?
If you want some extra tips on how to engage with your audiences online, contact us at iFactory today. Our team of professionals are the best in the business at creating unique, powerful and engaging branding for your business. Want to see how it’s done? Follow us on Facebook for some digital marketing inspiration.
