By Emily Collins, EVC Marketing
If you’re not getting engagement on your Facebook business page, it’s all too easy to blame the algorithm.
The truth is, if your engagement is low, it’s nothing to do with the Facebook algorithm and everything to do with the kind of content you’re sharing (and how you’re sharing it).
The good news is, there are lots you can do to improve your Facebook page engagement (without spending a penny on advertising).
But the first thing you need to know is that posting great content is not enough. You also need to ‘train’ the Facebook algorithm to recognise your content as important so it will show it to more people.
How do you do that? By getting engagement on your posts in the form of likes, reactions, comments and shares.
If you’re currently struggling to attract likes and comments, this might seem like a ‘chicken and egg’ situation. If few are commenting on your content, others are not likely to want to comment either.
But the answer is surprisingly simple; you need to go out and find people to comment on your content.
Four types of post will attract engagement on your Facebook page.
These are:
- I need to know this
- I know about that
- This is what I think
- I know how that feels
You may have spotted that there’s a common theme: relatability. If you want people to engage with your content, it needs to be relatable – something that either solves a problem for them, they have experience of and on which they have an opinion.
1 ‘I need to know this’ content
Creating content that solves a problem for people is a great way to get engagement.
This content can be anything from a vlog on how to improve your golf swing or improve your children’s health, a post sharing some critical industry news or an amusing video.
The biggest mistake with this kind of content is merely posting it. But it doesn’t matter how useful your new blog post is or how funny your video is if you don’t create curiosity you’ll be lucky to get a few likes and comments.
One straightforward way to create curiosity is to ask a question that relates to the content you want to share. So, don’t just post the information, ask a question that relates to the subject of the post. And give specific choices to help them answer (A, B, C, D and so on).
Other ideas for generating curiosity on Facebook
Why not share a:
- A short clip from a video and ask people to predict what happens next
- Divisive quote from your blog post and ask people if they agree/disagree
- Blooper from a video
- Still/photograph and invite people to write a caption
- Summary of a piece of industry news and ask people if they agree/disagree
2 ‘I know about that’ content
People love to share their ideas, so content that asks people to state their opinions/preferences works a treat.
This content can be anything from asking people their opinion or preference whether you should stock the handbag in blue or red to whether they like to have an iron in a condo to what they think of new laws that affect your industry.
But there is an art to getting engagement on these types of posts. And the more comfortable you make it for people to respond, the more likely they will be to do so.
This is why it’s essential to give people clear choices, e.g. A, B, C or D, yes/no, agree/disagree – or even ask them to respond with emojis.
Not only do these short two tap answer posts make it super quick for people to engage, but they also don’t have to think too hard about what to say – which means they’re far more likely to respond.
Once someone has responded to you, you can – and should – go back and ask them an additional question/encourage them to give you more information. For example, ‘Interesting…why does that one appeal the most (if you don’t mind me asking’).
So it’s easy to turn a short two tap answer posts into a conversation. And conversations are just what you should be aiming for with all your social media content.
However, don’t use short two tap answer posts all the time. They can be a great tool to encourage engagement, particularly when you’re trying to boost the engagement on your page.
3 ‘This is what I think’ content
People love to share their ideas and opinions – particularly on divisive topics. Tell them what the issue or problem is, explain your situation and then ask for their opinion.
People love to share their opinions, but they’re also busy. So the trick to getting engagement on this kind of content is to make it as easy as possible for people to comment by giving them a narrow set of choices.
The crucial thing is to pick subjects people care about and avoid sitting on the fence. Making a bold statement commands attention.
4 ‘I know how that feels’ content
People also love to share their experiences/advice, which is why more vulnerable, personal content works well.
When you share personal content, over time, you build up a narrative and take people on a journey with you – something that can be very powerful.
Remember this does not mean you have to share your deepest, darkest secrets. One of the most popular ‘I know how that feels’ posts was a round-up of most embarrassing headshots. We all know how it feels to look at an awkward old photo of ourselves.
But people like to do business with people. If you’re willing to share a little of the person behind the company, you’ll get much better engagement on your page. And when people feel connected to you through a shared experience, they’re far more likely to want to be your customer.
It’s worth remembering that Facebook is, primarily, a ‘friends and family’ platform. This is why personal posts – of the kind you might post on your own Facebook wall – often do better on your Facebook page than business-related posts.
If you need assistance with your social media engagement, then contact EVC Marketing who can provide a range of services from social media training to content calendar creation.