52 Ways to Increase Facebook Engagement on a Facebook Business Page


By Martin Brossman

NCSmallBusinessTraining.com

July, 2014
How do I get more people to interact with my Facebook Business page?

Here are 52 ways for Social Media Managers and anyone who manages a Facebook Page to get more Engagement.


When in Doubt, Test it Out

1) Change the types of content you post - test different formats (photo, video, links) to see which yields the highest comments, shares and reach.

2) Run Facebook Ads to existing customers and potential customers. Increasingly Pages are running ads just to be seen in their Fans' Newsfeed as the result of Newsfeed changes.

3) Alter you post - test different days and times. See which time of the day and which day(s) receive more engagement.

4) Schedule your posts ahead of time directly in Facebook, instead of with auto content schedule tools like Hootsuite or Buffer. Facebook favors posts sent within its platform.

5) Test the length of text in your posts to see if it has an affect on the response you get. Being succinct is best.

6) Make sure your Page has two to 10 high-quality posts your customers will value, before running a Facebook Ad. Customers are willing to put up with an ad - even welcome it - if it leads them to useful content.

7) Test out contents and giveaways. Review Facebook's contest and giveaway rules first. Ensure the contest is fair and follow through or it will hurt your reputation.

What do I say?

8) Share a blog posts, selecting ones that speak to your Facebook customer demographic. It may be a blog from your business, it may not. Describe one nugget you got out of it and ask a thoughtful question, urging your customers to weigh in.

9) Spontaneous posting is ok occasionally. Look at trending hashtags and post something relevant to your business using that hashtag(s).

10) Ask your fans to share their weather photos and stories of snowmen, downed trees, etc., on your Page. Remember to like, thank and comment on the photos they share.

11) Feature a question from a Twitter follower and answer it on Facebook. If you don't have another social media platform, quote a customer who asked you in person. Ask them permission to quote them or make it a general attribution.

12) Ask your fans a fill-in-the-blank question like "My favorite hot dog condiment is ___." This type of question is less intimidating to answer than an open-ended question. You might get question ideas to use later on, based on their answers. Please this question type sparingly.

13) Post photos that pull on the emotions of your fans. You may choose nostalgia for the "good 'ol days" or cute animals that you tie-in to your business. Eliciting ohhhs and awwwws is ok...but don't overuse.

14) Re-purpose your content, pointing out a new and unique aspect. Examples: Share a link to a blog post, highlighting a new insight... or how about "Christmas in July" - re-sharing Christmas content in July.

15) If no one has responded to your post yet, reply to your own post with valuable comments that might spark responses...do sparingly and only once per post.

16) Depending on your fans' social media savviness, giving tips on how Facebook works might be useful to them. You might say "To see our updates on xyz go to your New-feed and click 'Most recent stories.' "

The Event Angle

17) When there is a big event or major weather going down, more people will be on Facebook than usual. See if you have something useful to add. One example: post a picture of snow at your bed and breakfast during a snowstorm. Another idea - post updates the news is not providing in your area.

18) Test out the Event app for your events, especially social ones and not seasonal sales. Encourage fans to invite other fans to join them. Create it in advance of the event and post updates there regularly. This gives the event time to build momentum.

19) Post a podcast, video or blog by an event headliner in advance to get your audience excited.

20) Drum up nostalgia on holidays and past events like anniversaries. Here's one example: "This day in 1975 we were ____, where where you?"

21) Post about an event (before, during and after) with photos and without photos and see the difference in responses.

22) Share photos or a video during an event. Make it a single quality post that conveys the event's "spirit," helping fans feel like they're there. Only select the best and don't overdo it.

Strategy: Thinking Big

23) Write in first person instead of third person. Your business should have its own "voice" - i.e., a certain tone and consistency. Maybe develop this "voice" into a persona that your company uses as a guideline for how to write on social media and other media.

24) What is your competition is doing? Think of different things you can do to stand out.

25) Pay to promote all or key posts to your followers by bidding $1 to $5 dollars. This promotes it directly into your Fan's Newsfeed, using Facebook.com/ads - not boosting a post.

26) Use hashtags to make your posts more easily discoverable. Choose some for branding, some for emphasis and some for reference to connect to other content like yours.

27) Curate quality content with a comment of why it is worth your customer/prospects time to look at. Pull out an idea that gave you an "ah-hah" moment and explain why.

28) Intersperse your content, ensuring variety of posts. Sales pitches for a whole week don't cut it. Aim for posting certain types of content on a regular basis, like a video once a month, a sale coupon, a link to your blog, etc.

29) Have clearly defined personas, avatars or profiles of customer types you are talking to. Decide the percentage of each type you have and create content (blogs, photos, video, etc.) in that percentage.

29) Plan holiday-related posts ahead of time, especially holidays that are big for your business.

30) Daily review your Newsfeed to see what you can like, comment or share as your business. For a quick view on your interaction with other Pages, view your Page's Activity Log in your Admin settings.


Be well, 
Martin

 
Be Well, Martin Brossman

4441 Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
(919) 847-4757


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