Facebook Limits Your Audience? Two Ways To Still Be Seen

Facebook has just announced that they are limiting - even more - the amount of business page followers who will naturally see any given post. Why? They want you to spend money to boost the post, of course, and who's to stop them? They're running a business, too, right? Their business is monetizing human interaction. I might do the same thing if I were them.

But for those of you, like me, who are small to micro businesses trying to make it in a very competitive market, Facebook's recent change in operation does not bode well. We're all working hard to build a following and, now, that following -- even though they have opted to see our content -- won't see it unless we pay for it.

Daunting? Yes. It feels like it's going to become a game about who has the most money, again, right? Weeeeell, not exactly. Here are two simple techniques that will help you beat the system - at least for a little while.

1. Like your own posts.

Sounds tacky, right? People who like their own posts seem to be vain and silly. In fact, not very long ago, liking one's own posts was the height of Facebook gauchery.

However, you will notice that some folks are liking their own posts as a matter of course, now. Why? Facebook added a little ticker on the side of the screen that shows folks actions pretty much in real time. A kind of an unfettered feed, this ticker will tell you who's liking or commenting or sharing right now. Now in the most recent incarnation of Facebook, that feed only refreshes if you do, however, it's still there. If you like your own posts, that action comes up on the ticker feed increasing your chance that people online will see it.

Also, Facebook will keep a post alive and show more people the post the more people like and comment on it. So, if a post is interesting to your audience, the platform keeps putting it out there. Posts that are uncommented or unliked (therefore uninteresting) will simply disappear. A post, then, can still go viral -- get seen by a ton of folks -- if people respond to it, like it, comment on it, share it.

So, like your own posts on your business page. Change back to your own self and like that post again. It will help.

2. Form a Marketing Support Circle

Following on this idea, it would be great if a post would get an automatic like or two as it goes up or gets a comment or two early in the process or is guaranteed to get a share or two. It follows, then, that small business can seek out other small businesses and form a marketing support circle. It might only take three or four individuals supporting a few posts a day to make a big difference in how many people actually see the post in their feed.

So, get out there and find three or four others who are trying to do what you are trying to do. Help each other. Like each other's posts. Comment and share each other's content both as a business and as an individual. It will help.

There. Two ways to work around the new Facebook restrictions. At least for now. Until they change it all again.