Fans, followers, subscribers are all terms common in social media marketing, and they're things that brands have invested time and dollars into accruing. But it’s been long established that algorithms have made these people all but useless to brands because reaching them organically is next to impossible.

Paid promotion is integral to any social platform activation from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter. As these platforms have shifted to paid promotion, they’ve become platforms more focused on helping brands achieve reach. Sheryl Sandburg once famously said of Facebook, “We have a Super Bowl on mobile every single day.”

People are flocking to these social networks, which has meant the opportunities associated with them has expanded to reaching new audiences—non to light buyers of a brand’s products or services. This is a shift from what social was traditionally thought of with followers, fans and so on. It sounded like a way to encourage loyalty, engage in customer service and keep your current customers close. Algorithms changed all of that as reach becomes more and more important.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just different. Brands benefit from this kind of approach. Campaigns aimed at reaching new audiences have actually been shown to build brands far more effectively than campaigns designed to maintain or increase loyalty—77% effectiveness rate for reach campaigns vs. 44% loyalty, according to Binet & Field’s Marketing in the Era of Accountability.

That means work designed to appeal to non and light buyers with investment in reach is more likely to drive sales, grow market share and grow profit.

Why the Shift?

Let’s not jump to the conclusion that Facebook and friends just have their advertisers’ interest in mind. It makes sense for them to shift to a model that encourages reach because that means more ad dollars invested into their platforms. That being said, they’ve earned that right by amassing huge numbers of users who spend time with their apps and on their sites every single day.

Standing Out

This isn’t an about face away from loyalty, but it is a reevaluation of social’s abilities and where its current strengths lie.

The marketplace is crowded with messages, and every brand is looking and working to crack the algorithm, but as social has shifted from being a loyalty channel to one more focused on reach.

Choose the times and the audiences that show the most potential for brand growth. Then invest in assets that will resonate with them. You don’t need ongoing, organic content to encourage fan loyalty. Your fans don’t see that content. Instead, create fewer, better assets that will resonate with new buyers and reaffirm commitment from current buyers and ultimately. Then support those assets at key times to ensure they get seen and have a chance to drive the business forward.