Facebook marketers have a simple decision to make. You can settle for reaching as few as 12% of your Facebook fans with your status updates or you can buy Promoted Posts to increase that number. Neither of these sounds like the best option.
A third option is available, however. One that is hard to crack but will unleash a much larger audience than you are reaching today. The simple solution is to be more engaging. This suggestion alone is likely not helpful, so I've listed three tips below that will help you beat Facebook's system to reach more of your audience and their friends.
1. Use Images
Much like traditional advertising, social media is a competition to win the attention of an audience. So why do we keep relying on simple text updates with boring copy and hoping that the right people will take notice and click our links? This mindset is for people who buy static billboards, not people who want their message to spread like fire.
Images take up more real estate than text. If you want people to see your post in the newsfeed, why make it look exactly like a post from one of your friends? Use a colorful graphic with a quote, coupon, call to action or other message that strikes a chord with your audience and is related to the content you are linking to. Even if people aren't interested in your link, they may share the image because it's visually appealing or makes a statement that they enjoy. Wherever the image goes, so does your link. This method gives users more than one reason to interact with your post.
2. Ask for engagement
Do you really expect people to engage with your Facebook posts if you don't ask them to? This is a no-brainer. Ask a question and tell people to comment with their answer. Have people vote on something using the Like and Share features. The more people that respond to your request, the more places your post will show up across Facebook. A simple call-to-action may be enough to reach a larger audience than you are reaching without it.
3. Stay relevant and nimble
Do you manage your Facebook page by scheduling posts weeks in advance? if so, do you revisit your publishing calendar when a major news event takes place? If not, you should. Responding to what is happening in the news is one of the easiest ways to have your content spread. It also makes you appear in-tune with the world and what is happening outside of your organization. Don't underestimate the power of thinking on your feet and taking action when you can contribute to a broader story.
This doesn't only work for breaking news. Consider holidays, sports, television and other planned events that capture the attention of a large number of people.
The Bottom Line
The most important principal to apply is to always trying something new or different than what you are doing today. Over time, measure and refine your tactics to increase your reach.