9 Social Media Engagement Tips for Facebook
Facebook is the
first thought that crosses most people’s minds when you mention the
words ‘social media’… and for good reason. It has immense
reach, and recent statistics show that it has slightly over 2 billion
users. That is not only amazing, but it’s a potential goldmine for
marketers hoping to expand their reach.
In this article,
we’ll focus on several different tips to increase your engagement
with your audience, and turn them from loyal fans into paying
customers. All you need to do is be interesting, engaging,
trustworthy and consistent… and your fans will trust your
recommendations and buy what you’re selling.
We’ll focus on
Facebook fan pages and Facebook groups in this article because both
are free to set up. While fan pages are not as effective as they used
to be because Facebook wants marketers to ‘pay to play’, it does
have some reach. Either way, the same principles apply whether you’re
running a fan page, group or even an email list. The mantra is always
– “Be Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy!”
- Pick a memorable name
This is the most
important point. The name you pick for your page/group should be
memorable, strong and catchy. It could be your brand or something
related to your niche. ‘Jeff’s Kettlebell Zone’ is an example
of a good name. ‘Jeff’s Fitness with Kettlebells for Men, Women
and Grannies’ is not. Keep it short, relevant and simple.
- Optimize for SEO
While search engine
optimization is not the focus here, it doesn’t hurt to do it.
Strategically insert your main keywords in you page name,
description, etc. When you get 25 likes on your page, create a
customized vanity URL. If we used the example from above, it would
be: https://www.facebook.com/jeffskettlebellzone
- Links, links and more links
Link to your
page/group from anywhere you can think off. Link from your blogs,
YouTube channels, emails, shortcuts in your product files (if you’re
selling products) etc. The more links you have pointing to your page
or group, the more people will find you. One of the keys to
increasing your audience is to cast your net wide and make it as easy
as possible to reel people in.
- Increase your engagement
It doesn’t matter
if you have one fan on your page or twenty thousand fans. You start
engaging from day 1. Share pictures and videos and highlight
interesting events or details. It doesn’t always have to be about
selling. Ideally, you should only pitch once every 3 to 5 posts. This
will ensure that your page has some balance. Nobody wants to be part
of a pitch fest.
aaaa
If you’re running
a page dedicated to helping men get six pack abs, you can share a
post about how ‘dad bods’ are the latest trend and ask them their
opinions. You can bet that this will spark a lot of conversation and
that’s fantastic because the Facebook algorithm loves to see
engagement in pages and groups. It will look upon your page/group
more favorably.
- Make your members feel valued
You could run
giveaways and contests to increase engagement. When you give away
free items you’ll definitely perk everyone’s interest.
Generate
conversation with your members. Reply to as many comments as you can.
Post pictures and ask for captions. Do whatever you can to connect
with your audience. This is ‘social’ media. Social means that
it’s not a one-way street.
Many FB fan
page/group owners do not interact enough with their audience. They
just make a post or two and disappear, leaving the members to
interact amongst themselves. It’s next to impossible to build
loyalty and likeability if you’re never around to bond with your
audience.
- Avoid the cesspool
No matter what niche
you’re in on how good you try to be, there will ALWAYS be a handful
of people who post negative comments or try to troll your page. NEVER
argue with them or engage in hot debate. You’ll just be sinking
into a pit with them. It’s pointless and doesn’t help your image.
You can give polite
answers and if they persist in being nasty, you can bring the ban
hammer down on them and boot them out of your page or group. There is
absolutely no need to endure nastiness from anyone. In fact, removing
them quickly will not only mean less trouble for you, but will also
keep your page/group a positive place to be.
- Share useful posts
Feel free to share
posts from other pages or sites in your page or group. It doesn’t
always have to be about you and your brand. By sharing useful
information with your fans, you’ll be providing value and building
trust because you’re helping them with what they need.
- Be consistent
Trust is built with
consistency. Do not make one post every two months and expect
engagement. Out of sight = out of mind. You need to post regularly.
Posting once or twice every day is fine. Do not go overboard and post
10 times a day. The constant notifications will annoy your audience.
You should also plan
your post timing. Depending on where most of your audience is
located, you should post at a time when they’d be on Facebook. If
your post goes out in the middle of the night when they’re fast
asleep, there’ll not be as much engagement since your post will be
buried amidst all the other posts that appear on their feed later in
the day.
You’ll want to
have a plan to determine just what you’ll post on a daily basis.
It’s good to have a customer avatar so you know what type of
content will fit with your audience.
- Check your stats
Facebook Insights
provides detailed analytics for you to know exactly how well your
page or group is doing. Look at your stats and analyze them. If
you’re lacking in a few areas, try a few strategies to overcome
these issues. It may require more posts, better content, a different
timing, etc. You’ll only know when you test it out.
Keep these 9 tips in
mind when engaging an audience on Facebook and you’ll do better
than most pages/groups out there. Always remember the mantra - Be
Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy.
“The best
marketing strategy ever: Care” – Gary Vaynerchuk
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