Rupert Murdoch said if you want to motivate people, you have to engage their minds and their hearts.
A truism whether in life or online.
If you can capture people’s attention and ignite emotion, you can inspire interaction.
But when it comes to Facebook engagement, gaining audience attention can be tough.
Whether it’s the latest algorithm change or the overwhelming amount of shared content, one thing is for certain.
If you want to increase engagement, you need to make a few changes.
So… how can you do it?
Below are a few tips to help you dazzle and delight your fans – and get your Facebook Page buzzing!
11 Little Facebook Tips That Bring BIG Engagement Results
1. Brand Your Business
If you want to create a memorable brand on Facebook, you must clearly articulate who you are, what you do and how you help your fans and customers.
Not only that, you must keep your branding consistent. Better branding equals heightened awareness and that translates into better engagement.
From you Facebook graphics to your logo, videos, and cover image – create a seamless look and feel that’s a direct representation of your company.
One of the first things people will see is your cover photo. It’s a perfect place to brand your business and tell your story.
But don’t just stop there. Use it to promote your products, share what’s happening within your business and talk about upcoming events.
And make sure you change out that cover often!
I recently changed mine to promote an upcoming Facebook webinar. Want to join me there? (see the details below)
2. Use Friend Power to Build a Tribe
Back in 2013, Nielsen released an advertising study in which they noticed participants showed much greater recall of ads if Facebook friends’ icons appeared under who “Liked” that particular product.
Today, Nielsen reports that 92% of consumers trust a recommendation from family and friends over all forms of advertising.
Granted, this study was about advertising; not about Facebook Pages – but their conclusion shouldn’t be ignored.
All it takes is one enthusiastic “fan” to propel your Facebook Page towards super-status!
Imagine how 45,000 and 11,000 shares could help your business get noticed.
20 of the most wow-worthy bathrooms we’ve ever seen: http://bit.ly/1Srv6sHPosted by Better Homes and Gardens on Saturday, July 18, 2015
3. Build Out Your About
Facebook is a visual medium. Make sure all of your important details are front and center.
Include links to webinars, videos, upcoming events you’re hosting, and in-depth information about you, your product and/or service.
Tips to Help You Craft Your “About”
- Add your mission, vision and values along with any founding details that would matter to potential clients.
- You have a short amount of time to gain the attention of potential fans. Put the most relevant details at the top of your “About.”
- Answer questions any customer or fan would have. (e.g. how long have you been serving the community)
- Provide success stories and examples of how you’ve helped others. Was there a difficult situation you were able to work through? Highlight that story!
- Strike industry jargon from your your messaging and talk to consumers in a conversational way.
- Add keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business and would be used by any consumer looking for your small business.
4. Use the Call to Action Button
A call to action isn’t just for your marketing material. You need to use it within your Facebook Page.
Not familiar with the call to action button? From Facebook,
The call to action button is designed to bring a business’s most important objective to the forefront of its Facebook presence, call-to-action buttons link to any destination on or off Facebook that aligns with a business’s goals.
You have multiple options with an unlimited amount of ways you can use these buttons.
The seven calls to action available are:
- Book Now
- Contact Us
- Use App
- Play Game
- Shop Now
- Sign Up
- Watch Video
Look to Peg Fitzpatrick’s Facebook cover as an excellent example. She has a clear call to action and integrates book sales into the SHOP NOW button.
5. Keep Your Content Fresh
Post daily and keep your content fresh and relevant. Change up your posts by using images, links, video and other media to monitor what works best in your community.
And think through your content. For example, a humorous message that makes your community laugh will often engage an audience in a way that keeps readers coming back.
And if people look forward to your posts, that’s a hook that strengthens the ties to your page.
PRO Tip:
The multiplication possibilities via Facebook are similar to the magic of compound interest.
Here’s how it works:
When your friends and fans repost and comment on your page, the information spreads to their friends, and can be picked up repeatedly by another “generation” of friends.
In that manner, the reach of your message can be unlimited. It’s the Facebook version of “going viral,” but the only way it’s going to happen is if you post often and share valuable content.
6. Pay Attention to Your Insights
Whether you’re managing one Facebook Page or multiple Pages, Facebook Insights are an invaluable resource.
Take a look at your audience statistics. Pay special attention to age, gender and country of residence. This is going to give you insight into who’s connecting with your Page.
Now, go one step further. Look at your total interactions and the interactions per post.
Identify what time is best to post and what type of content is receiving the most engagement.
Can you see how helpful that would be to your overall strategy? Knowing what your fans are responding to makes content and post creation much easier.
7. Use Visual Marketing
As Pinterest has proven, people love eye candy. And we’ve seen that exact effect happen with images on Facebook.
Use images that are a banquet for the eyes. Bold, beautiful, eye-catching and simple to scan.
The goal here is to create an image that will immediately intrigue, delight and connect with your audience.
Take this post from Mindshift, a company committed to exploring learning and education. Wouldn’t you agree that they know exactly who they’re speaking with?
Find what type of visual content connects with your Facebook audience and then post that over and over again.
Look at all the ways teachers make a difference: http://ow.ly/QDMdk Graphic by @sylviaduckworthPosted by MindShift on Saturday, August 8, 2015
8. Boost Your Posts…Wisely
I’m often asked whether marketers should boost Facebook posts.
Many have heard (and you might be one of them) that boosted posts are a waste of money.
My response? Not true!
At least not when boosted posts are targeted and specific.
Want to see what this looks like in action? My friend Scott Ayres, author of Facebook All-In-One for Dummies recently shared results from one boosted post campaign.
By spending just $65 on Facebook, his boost post results were:
- Reach — 13166
- Actions — 466
- Photo Clicks — 163
- Page Likes — 44
- Post Likes — 212
So how did he do it? I’ll let him explain…
via Scott Ayres
When you boost a post you need to be careful how you do it or you may end up wasting your money.
Clicking the “Boost Post” button on a post will show you something similar to this:
NEVER choose the “People who like your Page and their friends” selection — unless your Page/product is a global product.
Choosing “People who like your Page” is great for reigniting engagement with people who may not have interacted with you in some time.
I tend to use the “People you choose through targeting” selection most often.
Facebook targeting allows me to choose a specific audience — which means a mix of existing followers and new prospects.
I get the most return on my ad spend and when I target the ad by demographics.
Want to learn more? Read this detailed breakdown of exactly how Scott uses boosted posts.
9. Get With the Video Movement
There’s no doubt about it. Video is hot, hot, hot.
In fact, video now makes up for 78 percent of all web traffic.
Couple that with this stat from SocialBakers.com and you have the making of one powerful engagement tool!
So how can you use this in your business? Share educational, entertaining, inspiring and unique videos directly to your Facebook Page.
Or learn from Taylor Swift’s use of video and give a behind-the-scenes look at your business to get your fans in on the action!
How To Peel Jumbo Shrimp That Is Very Very Hot: A Tutorial Featuring Kamilah MarshallPosted by Taylor Swift on Monday, May 4, 2015
10. Be a Part of the Conversation
Visit your page frequently and actively connect with your fans. Engaging daily with your community is the quickest and most effective way to build trust and credibility.
Invite feedback by asking open ended questions that can lead to long and lively discussions. Ask for responses — simply ending your message with a “what do you think?” or “do you agree?” can often get the party started.
And be responsive!
Always monitor your fan page so that you can respond to questions and comments quickly. It keeps the discussion and interest up, shows appreciation for those who are reaching out to you, and is the ideal opportunity to engage with new people.
Facebook is about connecting socially and can be a powerful networking tool if you focus your efforts on building and maintaining an entertainingly informative fan page.
11. Use testimonials
Testimonials sharing real-life experience with your company go a long way in building credibility.
Get people excited about sharing their thoughts on your page. Then take those and turn them into shareable graphics.
Here’s an idea to get people interested in sharing testimonials on your page via Wishpond.
“According to Search Engine Land, “72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” Asking your clients for written reviews of your product and having them post it on to your Facebook Page gives you authentic confessions that can add a boost to your product sales. A positive review from a real consumer can be incredibly beneficial to your bottom line.”
Final Thoughts
The more entertaining your posts are and the easier they are to react to (think short and sweet), the more likely it becomes that your reach will naturally expand.
Give fans a reason to keep coming back, day after day!
