Facebook is a great way for you to communicate with your customers. It’s one of the best marketing tools for small businesses because it can be used in many ways that are not possible on other social media sites.
For example, you can use Facebook ads to promote your business and also post updates about specials or new products. But is there more you could be doing? As Facebook continues to grow and change its features, it becomes increasingly important for marketers of all sizes to take advantage of these changes in order to stay relevant on the platform.
One way this can be done is by creating more engaging content–content that draws people into liking or commenting on posts rather than scrolling past them without reading anything–and posting it at appropriate times so it has maximum exposure.
Here are 11 tips to increase engagement on Facebook:
1. Post photos and graphics that are visual
The best way to get people’s attention on Facebook is to post content with images or graphics, especially photos.
The posts that contain images tend to perform better than those without them, and marketers have found that the more beautiful the photo, the better it performs in terms of likes, comments, and shares.
2. Post at peak times only
The best times to post on Facebook are Sunday through Thursday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., when most people are online, according to a survey by Outbrain.
Before you schedule your posts, make sure that you check them first for any mistakes such as spelling or missing links. In addition, make sure that the subject line of your post is interesting enough to entice people to read further.
3. Use Video to showcase a product or service
One of the best ways to get more engagement on Facebook posts is through video content. Studies have shown that likes increase by 45% when videos are used than text-only posts.
Video can be a great way for businesses to communicate with their audience while also conveying a message that is engaging as well.
Video can be used for a multitude of reasons such as to introduce new employees, show behind-the-scenes footage, or even showcase or sell a product.
4. Have a goal of writing two to three status updates per day
Along with the images, you should also be posting about one or even two other topics that are on your mind, such as new products or services available, links to helpful articles that will benefit readers in some way, etc.
When choosing these topics to write about, make sure that they are relevant and that the information contained in them is valuable and interesting.
Set a goal for yourself of writing two or three posts every day to keep consistency in your posting schedule.
5. Post coupons or deals to boost online sales
Use Facebook to promote your products by posting discounts or any specials you might have available–especially if they involve money-saving coupons–to give customers a reason to buy from you instead of somewhere else. You should also ask them for feedback about their shopping experience with your brand so that you can improve it moving forward (but don’t overdo this).
6. Don’t use too many hashtags
Overusing hashtags is one of the worst things you can do for your Facebook posts when trying to gain more shares and comments from your audience, says HubSpot .
Using only a couple of hashtags per post–not more than three or four–is best, particularly if you’re using them for promotional purposes.
7. Encourage sharing by asking questions
People like talking about themselves (who doesn’t?), so post questions in your posts where they can share their opinions or tell you something helpful about your business and include the hashtag #My2Cents so others will get involved in the conversation too. When people discuss what you’re doing on social media, they will spread the word–and even if they don’t say anything, they will still click on your posts.
8. Promote others by sharing their work
Another way to make people want to engage with your Facebook posts is to share the content that other people created–such as blog articles, YouTube videos, podcasts, etc.–that are relevant to what you do. This will help build credibility for them and your brand in general while improving search engine rankings too.
9. Post regularly so people know when you’re online
Posting at least one or two times a day is important if you want to get more followers on Facebook because it helps keep your page active and visible online (people tend to join groups related to brands that post frequently). Allowing people who like your page to see your posts is a good idea too because it helps them to become more engaged with you and therefore more likely to interact with you on Facebook.
10. Showcase the customer experience
Creating a post or video of how customers can use your products or services will allow people who don’t know much about your brand to be able to see what they can get out of it–and perhaps even convince others who already do use your brand’s goods and services to purchase additional items that they might not have considered before. As previously mentioned, asking for (but not demanding) feedback from customers is another way to build credibility with them and improve their overall experience with your brand moving forward.
11. Engage your followers regularly by commenting on their posts
People like it when companies engage them on their social media pages because it shows that you care about what they have to say. To accomplish this, take time out of your day to go through some of the posts that others have made and leave a comment or two (don’t overwhelm people by leaving tons of comments though). When someone new joins your page, be sure to welcome him or her before pointing them in the direction of some interesting content you think he or she will find useful.
You can also use Facebook’s built-in analytics tools to see how much engagement each post receives and determine which ones are most effective for driving traffic and increasing sales.
By following these 11 tips, you’ll be able to make your Facebook posts more effective and build a stronger relationship with consumers that will ultimately lead to increased sales because they will trust you and like what you’re doing on social media.
