MONADNOCK REGION, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) If your business has one thousand followers on Facebook, you might assume that when you post something, those followers see it.

They don’t.

In reality, the average business post reaches only about 1 to 2 percent of its followers organically.

That means if you have one thousand followers, perhaps 10—at most 20—people actually see your post.

Even with 5,000 followers, maybe 50, possibly up to 100 people see it.

That’s not a criticism of your content. It’s how the platform is designed to work.

Social media is not a free advertising platform—it’s a paid advertising platform

Companies like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, generate the vast majority of their revenue from advertising. Their business model depends on limiting organic reach so businesses will pay to expand it.

If every business could reach all of its followers for free, there would be little reason to advertise.

So instead, the platform uses an algorithm to decide who sees what. That algorithm prioritizes content based on engagement—likes, shares, comments—relevance, and importantly, whether the business has paid to promote the post.

This is why many business owners say things like:

“We post all the time, but nothing happens.”

Or,

“It used to work better than it does now.”

They’re right.

But Meta changed the rules so they can make more money.

Posting regularly does not guarantee visibility

Social media still has value. It can help reinforce credibility. It can help people learn more about your business. It can help someone feel more comfortable choosing you. It can show a more personal side of your business that doesn’t come through on a standard website. You can communicate updates or specials quickly.

But it is not reliable as a primary advertising strategy.

Because the only people who consistently see your posts are those who have recently interacted with your content—or those who purposely visit your page.

Most importantly, free posting does not help you reach the thousands of potential customers in your community who are not already following you.

This creates a dangerous false sense of visibility

This is the real problem.

Many businesses feel like they are advertising because they are active on social media. They are posting regularly. They are putting in the effort.

But their actual visibility is extremely limited.

Meanwhile, their competitors may be investing in strategies that ensure they are consistently seen by the right people.

Over time, those competitors become more familiar. More recognizable. More likely to be chosen.

Visibility still matters more than ever

Before someone becomes your customer, they must know you exist. They must recognize your name. They must feel some level of familiarity.

This doesn’t happen automatically. And it rarely happens by accident.

It happens through consistent, intentional visibility.

Social media can be part of that visibility—but it works best as a supporting tool, not the foundation.

Because in today’s environment, visibility is not something businesses receive automatically.

And here is the real kicker: even if your social media post makes someone interested, their next step is to go to Google and search. And if you’re not visible there too, you may have just created a new customer—for your competitor.

Final thought

If you’re relying on social media alone to keep your business visible and to attract new customers, it is not happening. Period. If you want to discuss a few ideas on what can actually help you with your social media, I’d be happy to chat with you. I can tell you this, about 8 months ago we (Monadnock media Group) made major adjustments to our social media strategy, and it has paid big dividends, but we stopped looking at it as “free” marketing and now look at it very differently.  

You can reach me directly at:
rcable@monadnockmediagroup.com