Have you noticed your Facebook interaction has been on a downhill spiral lately?
There is absolutely no need to freak out.
Many businesses are understandably worried about the new changes to Facebook's algorithm, but there's really no need to be.
In a nutshell: Companies are being urged to reevaluate their strategies for attracting Facebook users to their posts so that they can increase the number of likes, comments, and shares they get.
As an example, Facebook is actively combating "engagement bait" and other spamming practices that they believe undermine its system.
What was once really successful for businesses may not cut it now.
That's why, if they still want organic reach, companies need an intentional Facebook engagement plan.
You may keep using the Facebook page you already have instead of creating a new one. You need to think about how to better organize your content to attract more readers. We've listed 10 ways to do this below.
So, let's have a look at ways to get more people involved on Facebook:
1. Use the Best Time to Post
The more interaction a post generates, the more likely Facebook’s algorithm is to reward it with reach.
This can sound a little counterintuitive but it relates to the necessity of timing your postings to perfection.
By publishing when your followers are most active, you quickly improve the probability of earning likes and comments.
And sure, there are data-driven optimal times to post on social media which might clue you in on what your posting schedule should look like.
The idea here is to not simply publish at random and expect interaction. With the aid of the table below and evaluating your prior post interaction, you can hone down on a schedule that makes sense.
2. Create Content With the Fans In Mind
When it comes to their content, many businesses make the mistake of limiting themselves.
Assume you are in charge of a Facebook page for a local sandwich business. Are you sure you want to share nothing than sandwich-related material?
Not at all!
In the first place, there's only so much you can say about your company or product on a daily basis without being repetitive. When readers see that your material is becoming too similar to other works, they stop paying attention.
The information you provide on Facebook doesn't only concern you, so keep that in mind. In the end, it's all about the support you get from your followers. Even if they like you, they probably don't want to hear nothing but praise for you. Achieving a higher level of Facebook participation becomes much more feasible if you begin to include that thought into your plan.
And if you're stuck for new content ideas, try asking yourself any of them.
Any Appropriate Current Events to Ride Shotgun On?
When used appropriately, references to pop culture and current events may add authenticity and a sense of place to your writing. Watch this great video that HubSpot released on Marvel's marketing for The Avengers: Infinity War.
Have You Recently Discovered Any Fascinating Facts or Statistics Regarding Your Followers?
Social media users spend a lot of time talking about and debating content on Facebook, and this is especially true with infographics and frightening figures. Discussion in the thread's comments area is a positive sign for the new algorithm.
When was the last time you made your fans laugh?
Memes and other forms of hilarious material have found a fertile ground on Facebook, for better or worse. Funny material usually performs well and is a pleasant approach to vary your articles, but it may not be the best match for every company.
It's tempting to make every conversation about you, but it won't get anybody interested. Aim to follow the golden rule of content curation, which states that self-promotional posts should make up no more than 20% of your total material.
In addition, posting a wide range of information to your feed helps ensure that your audience constantly looks forward to reading more.
3. Consider Your Most Read Articles
Looking inward might be the key to boosting Facebook participation.
For the sake of argument, let's pretend that you've written an outstanding piece. Lots of positive feedback and comments from fans.
Instead of dismissing the piece as an exception, you should try to replicate its viral success in the future.
Perhaps it was a viral phenomenon that no one saw coming. There's a chance that this was a really monumental case study.
As a result, it's important to keep tabs on your best-performing content and not just assume what's working. The engagement of your followers is, once again, essential for informing your content strategy.
Examine your Facebook statistics to determine for yourself which of your posts are generating the greatest interest. You might be surprised by the response.
4. Step Up Your Photo Game
Simply said, pictures are more successful than words on Facebook.
The vast majority of posts on the site are images, showing that users prefer looking at something rather than reading a bunch of information. Using images may help increase interaction on Facebook.
The performance of your posts may vary greatly depending on the photographs you upload.
Many new companies make the mistake of using premade stock pictures or images found online rather than developing their own images and content.
Instead, businesses should make an effort to reveal their unique character. Branded content like "in the wild" images and insider anecdotes have a large following for a good reason.
Remember, this is a social media platform, not a stock picture website.
Remember that pictures may be quite effective in getting people to stop scrolling and really look at your postings. The success of picture content from companies like GoPro demonstrates the power of images with vivid colors and beautiful scenery.
5. Give Attention to Responses and Remarks
Increasing the number of people who interact with your Facebook page is not a one-and-done task.
You should provide a reply if someone takes the time to remark on your post.
Brands that respond to customer feedback see a rise in engagement because customers want personal connections with their favorite products.
Not to mention, getting a response is now a need in online interactions. Responses made within four hours of a remark being made are generally considered respectful by the comment's original author.
Just responding to fans demonstrates that you care about what they have to say. For future brand engagement, this bodes well and also makes for a positive first impression.
Create a Facebook Chatbot to handle incoming messages if you can't keep up with them all manually.
6. Enhance Facebook's Usability with Custom Site Content
In other words, vanity metrics like the number of likes, shares, and comments aren't everything. These interactions provide crucial information about what people want to see more of in terms of media.
That's why it's so important to adapt Facebook's best practices to your own website's material.
After all, there's more to a company blog than just search engine optimization. Even while you may be skeptical of Facebook's stats, you can't deny the fact that the platform favors listicles and other content that borders on being clickbait.
If you want to increase your blog's Facebook readership, you may do it without sacrificing quality or using clickbait.
The presentation is the most important part.
Anxiety-inducing titles. Positioning your audience for a humorous payoff. You should expect a higher level of interaction with your Facebook posts if you write them in this manner.
7. Attach a call to action to your posts.
In an effort to steer advertisers away from spammy "TAG YOUR FRIENDS!" or "SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON IF YOU..." messages, Facebook has made this point clear.
However, it is OK to encourage readers to take action in your postings. This gives your supporters a platform to express their opinions and serves as a gentle reminder that you still have some unanswered questions for them.
Easily accomplish this by tacking on a question at the end of your articles. A series of material in which you constantly poll your audience for suggestions is another option.
Commenting, debate, and discussion are all welcome, but they should not be solicited.
8. Transfer Videos Straight to Facebook
Facebook has made it quite clear that they prioritize video content.
And Facebook makes a point of highlighting the success of native video. Brands are urged to post videos, rather than link to other videos, in order to spark conversation among their followers.
This means it's not enough to just paste a link to your latest YouTube video into a post.
Rather, wherever feasible, marketers should include videos in their Facebook posts and upload them directly to the platform. Facebook encourages businesses to routinely post video material, such as cartoons, advertising, and participation in Facebook Live.
9. Condense Your Messages
If you're not sure how long your post should be, make it short.
Keep in mind that you're probably working with smartphone users and those who want to scroll. If you write your blog entries like novels, your visitors will have more chances to lose interest and hence miss your call to action.
Take the following examples of common short forms of online communication:
Swift queries for the faithful
Article excerpts or statistics that need to be read in full to be understood
One or two clever or snappy sentences, together with an accompanying image.
But, in all seriousness. One line is all it takes to pique interest and encourage readers to click.
All of this highlights how easy it is to conduct successful conversations on Facebook.
10. Take use of your strongest supporters
Online businesses were naturally perturbed when Facebook said it will reduce the number of brand posts seen to consumers. With fewer people seeing a brand's content organically, the cost of Facebook ads to reach that audience will rise.
However, employee advocacy may help solve this problem.
Why not get your staff involved and spread the word about your newest content instead of depending simply on your brand page?
Is There a Plan in Place for Facebook Interaction?
The most important thing is to have a plan for encouraging interaction on Facebook. Period.
You can tell which firms are doing well on Facebook by how often they publish updates and engage with their fans. Dead pages, on the other hand, only repeat what they have already written without adding anything new or interesting.
That's the good news. You need not raise a finger to begin incorporating these Facebook strategy recommendations now.
___________________
Salty Red Dog Marketing, LLC is a marketing agency in Red Bank, NJ, Westport, CT, and everywhere in between. We service businesses with marketing strategies, digital marketing, social media, and consultations.
Contact: info@saltyreddogmarketing.com
Phone: NJ: (732) 802-6205 // CT: (203) 429-9671