Engagement is a metric that is crucial to marketers. It is a topic we’ve covered in numerous blogs over the years, but almost exclusively as it applies to email. But engagement is also important to social media. Increasing interactions (reactions, shares, and comments) can be key to growing and maintaining your social media audience.
This is especially true on Facebook, the reigning giant of social media with 1.91 billion daily active users including 69% of U.S. adults. Facebook engagement can extend your organic reach and help you take advantage of the platform’s algorithm to boost your News Feed placement.
So, let’s take a look at 5 simple tips that can help you increase engagement on Facebook.
1. Know Your Audience
If you want to engage your audience, start by understanding their wants and needs. How else can you decide what sort of content will get their attention? Gaining audience insight doesn’t have to be hard. Facebook Insights is an analytics tool that provides just about everything you need to start delivering content that resonates with your audience. You can get a wide range of demographic data, interests or hobbies, and even lifestyle information like location, relationship status and more. Other analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Hootsuite Analytics gather data from Facebook and other social media channels to provide an even deeper understanding of your audience.
2. Keep Your I’s on the Prize
Now that you know what your audience wants, deliver it in the form of content that Informs and Inspires. Focus on content that will make them think or show them how to improve their lives in some way. Unlike halftime during the “big game”, nobody turns to their Facebook feed to see ads, so avoid making direct sales pitches in your posts. Always share something that your audience will believe is worth sharing.
3. Quality Over Quantity
Facebook feeds are packed with all manner of posts and ads. Some are good. Most are not. Users scroll through them very quickly. If you want to cut through the clutter, you must stand out.
The key is prioritizing Quality over Quantity. In other words, instead of posting a lot of mediocre content, post better content less frequently. Make every post the best it can be. Start by investing a little more time in your copywriting to ensure the lede really hooks the reader. Keep the text short and sweet.
Source eye-catching images. Posts that feature a photo get significantly higher engagement rates. Facebook recommends product close-ups and customer photos – especially images that show somebody using the product. Whether you opt for original images from your brand’s photoshoots or stock photos, choose images that will jump off the page.
4. Be Consistent and Timely
Just because you focus on Quality over Quantity, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post regularly. Posting consistently ensures that your audience will come to expect and look for content from you. A good rule of thumb is posting two or three times per week. Creating a content calendar can keep you on the right track. Testing can help you fine tune exactly how often you should post to get the best response from your audience.
Possibly more important than how often you post is when you post. Facebook’s Page Insights can help you identify when your audience is most active. Just be aware that times displayed in Page Insights are based on your local time. If you see activity that appears to be in the middle of the night, those users are likely in a different time zone. Fortunately, there are tools available for scheduling posts so you don’t have to stay up all night. No matter how you do it, the key is posting when your followers are online to increase your reach and boost engagement.
5. Take Advantage of Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are a great way to attract new customers and engage with current ones. More than 1.8 billion people say they use Facebook Groups’ opt-in communities every month. Facebook Groups enable brands to connect with audiences that are predisposed to like their products by providing exclusive content, community, and support. Facebook Groups create the kind of brand loyalty that can really boost engagement on your Facebook Page. Learn more about Facebook Groups in our recent blog.
There you have it: 5 Simple Tips for Increasing Facebook Engagement. Now here’s an extra tip for good measure:
While it is easy for experts like us to offer tips, we know that building and managing a successful Facebook Business Page can be daunting for the average user. But that’s why we’re here.
Our social media team can help you establish and grow your social media presence while avoiding all the pitfalls. We can work with you to identify your audience, build a content calendar, create great content, and schedule the right posts at the right time to maximize engagement and meet your objectives. We can help you launch a Facebook Group, connect you with Influencers, and even supercharge your results with Facebook Ads. Give us a call to learn more.
