When it comes to Facebook Pages, engagement is key. To get your target audience’s attention, you have to be very clear about your purpose and branding. Facebook accounts that perform the best are those who have built a community of highly interactive users, and the only way for others build a similar community is by provoking that same type of engagement.
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It’s likely that your target demographic has a preferred type of post, so having a variety of content when you’re first building your fan base will help you distinguish what will and what won’t with your particular audience.
After you discover the formats of posts your audience finds most favorable, you can implement those types of posts on a regular schedule in order to get your audience interested in and excited for your next activity. Posting in this manner sets the stage for user interaction and conversation because fans of your page will have something to look forward to.
For example, a promotional discount or contest that’s posted every Sunday afternoon will ensure that your audience returns each week on that day to see what the new offer is.
Facebook has millions of Fan Pages, but a vast majority of these Pages are still trying to figure out how to attract an audience and engage the people to increase their revenue. Many big brands, on the other hand, have more than a million likes and have figured out the best ways to engage their audience.
So how do they do it? What’s the secret that separates the popular Pages from the unsuccessful ones?
Balance Different Types of Content
If every piece of content you deliver on Facebook has almost the same look, your fans will become bored. You need to offer content that keeps people interested.
To make your Facebook page more engaging, share your content in a variety of forms by experimenting with photos, videos, links and questions, then track the engagement in Insights to see which types of posts do best.
Manage Your Image Updates
Photos on Facebook generally generate more likes than the average post. Images command a lot of attention when it comes to engagement on Facebook, but it all depends on how you publish them.
Instead of always offering the same types of image updates, try to experiment with single-image updates, collages and albums to see which type of image update your fans prefer.
If you can include images that spark engagement by posting fun and interesting photos, you’ll stand out amongst the countless other posts in your fans’ stream. Facebook posts with photos can get nearly 80% more engagement than ones without photos, so it’s essential that you take advantage of any visual opportunities.
Asking questions
This is one of the easiest ways to engage your audience. Asking questions or inviting your audience’s opinion on something can instantly create a personal connection.
People like to give their opinion on nearly anything. Your most enthusiastic fans will likely have an opinion about your brand or your marketing message, and asking them to express those opinions can open the door to a lot of conversation and involvement.
These are some engaging ways to ask a question:
- Try to find a news story that connects to your business and ask what people think about it. Posting the question along with a video will peak user interest and entice them to respond.
- Ask fans about their opinions on your goods or services. “Has anyone tried our new beef poutine?” or “What do you think about our new paint options?” give fans the chance to express their fondness for your new products.
- Ask simple questions! If you have an event coming up, whether it be the launch of a new product or a simple coupon savings offer, asking about your fan’s interest will always generate good response. “Who is going to be at the store on Thursday to try out or new sandwich?” or “Who wants us to give out a coupon code this afternoon?!” are simple ways to engage your audience.
Conducting Polls
Polls are an easy way of seeing whether you’re going in the right direction with your promotions and communications, or if your audience is looking for something other than what you’re offering. Polling your audience will kick start conversation on your Facebook page while providing valuable insights on topics relevant to your business.
You can create polls very easily using Facebook’s Questions feature. You can also use tools like Poll, Polls for Facebook, Poll daddy and Cup.li.
Creating Facebook Events
Facebook Events can be a powerful way to get your event noticed and shared within the Facebook community. But just as with any marketing activity on Facebook, you have to be mindful of the balance between promoting your event effectively and spamming fans with too many updates about it. It’s essential that you find a balance between sharing and oversharing.
Building Excitement with a Contest
One of the major reasons people like Facebook Pages is because the Page notifies them about special offers and promotions. With that in mind, online contests are likely an easy way to promote social activity.
Contests give people a reason to connect with your brand and your Facebook page in a way that is beneficial to them.
Naturally, contests with big-budget prizes are going to generate more attention, but that’s not to say that smaller giveaways aren't worth the time: Any post that is beneficial to your likers is more likely to gain traction than those simply promoting your business.
Use Pre-Made Meme’s, or Make Your Own
Memes have a natural ability to go viral. Creating a meme that’s of popular opinion is an easy way to generate likes and shares! Even if not directly related to your brand, it’s a great way to generate attention to your fan page.
It’s important to deliver what your readers, likers, fans and clients want. Even the most interesting posts can go unnoticed if they don’t speak to your particular audience, so building your social strategy around your target demographic is essential in engaging conversation on your posts.
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