Audience engagement is the currency of social media. It’s one thing to amass a large number of followers, but when those followers interact with your posts and take time to view, like, comment, and share posts...that tells you you’re building not just followers, but fans. What’s more, Facebook’s algorithm rewards engagement with reach. So how can you build engagement on Facebook cleanly and efficiently? Here are 10 easy ways to leverage the features you already have access to, but may not be using.
Business pages give you the option of adding a call-to-action button on your banner image: Shop Now, Sign Up, Contact Us, Watch Video, Use App, and Play Game. “Designed to bring a business’s most important objective to the forefront of its Facebook presence,” CTAs invite viewers to take another step in learning more about you.
Consistent posting is possible with the scheduling function. Planning posts in advance, and scheduling them at once for the coming weeks will make life a lot easier. Facebook will even suggest peak times for your content to be posted.
Fear of negative comments is cause for concern. Fortunately, Facebook gives you the ability to set filters and moderate comments, only approving those that you select. You can also set controls to prevent others from tagging or posting on your page without approval.
Schedule an open house or event on Facebook through the event app rather than on a standard post. You can provide vital information including a map and link to purchase tickets if needed. The event app also enables you to extend invitations to followers, and boosting the event will increase audience reach.
Break up the monotony of standard posts with Facebook live. Take people on a quick tour of your business, introduce team members, and welcome viewers into a slice of life in your day. You can choose to either end the post once the feed is over, or post it for people to watch later and share with friends.
Photos and videos make sure your posts are visually stimulating. With Facebook, photos aren’t expected to be professional, nor are videos. Armed with a smartphone camera or video recorder will have you sharing great content in no time. Even sharing a meme that’s appropriate for your business can make your page fun and inviting, keeping viewers interested and engaged.
Everyone has an opinion they like to share, and polls are a great way to get responses. You can ask almost anything. For example, retailers can ask which color of clothing their followers like best, or jewelers may ask which diamond shape viewers prefer. With polls, the options are as limitless as the opinions, and they are a great tool for driving engagement.
Facebook business gives page managers the opportunity to review site analytics. You can identify what posts are gaining the most interest, where your reach is coming from and a host of other metrics to guide your social media strategy.
The goal of Facebook is to build a relationship with viewers so that they’ll want to do business with you. You’re going to have people who ask questions about everything from what hours you’re open to options on products. They may have a concern or want to make a referral. Messenger is the tool on Facebook that allows you to have a one-on-one conversation with a consumer. It’s important to monitor Messenger regularly and respond quickly.
At times, you will have a post that you want to share with the public, not just your followers. For those times, you can pay to boost a post on Facebook. You select the budget, timing, and audience demographics. Then, sit back and watch it work!
The biggest complaint we hear from clients whose businesses are on Facebook is that they don’t know when it’s working. Knowing that audience interaction is the key to success in social media, these tips will get you headed in the right direction.