Running a Facebook page is an ongoing operation where you have to be constantly producing content to keep your page on your user’s screens. But beyond being seen, how do you build genuine user engagement? Read on for some tips to help improve your page’s engagement rates.
Post less
This may seem paradoxical, but posting less can actually help boost engagement rates. The reasons for this are twofold: there is a patience threshold for how many updates your followers are willing to see before they become annoying and it means you risk stretching yourself thin for content. Quality is more important than quantity for engagement rates.
Tailor your content for Facebook
Chances are your Facebook page is not your only social media presence: you may also have any number of other social media accounts, like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and more. It’s so common that there are several popular social media aggregators that help you post to all of your social media profiles from one place. It’s a mistake to post the exact same content to every channel – each platform has different users and different styles of content. Make sure you’re not posting Twitter-style updates to your Facebook page, for example.
Post your content directly
Facebook page updates can come in all forms, from text to images to videos. However you choose to post your updates, make sure you do it directly. For example, if you have a new video that you want to show off on your Facebook page, you might be tempted to upload it to YouTube and then post a link to it on Facebook. This is a bad idea, as a link is far less eye-catching and it takes users away from Facebook, which people are often reluctant to do. Instead, post your video directly on Facebook. You’ll benefit from auto-play and you don’t need to persuade your followers to go out of their way to watch your video.
Post at the right time of day
Facebook’s Page Insights tool is an invaluable resource for helping to understand your followers. It contains a wealth of demographic information to let you know who your followers are. One such piece of data on offer comes under ‘When Your Fans Are Online’ and shows you on a day-to-day basis what time of day the majority of your followers are online. Making sure your posts go out when your followers are online as this helps boost engagement rates.
Take (judicious) risks
Your brand has (or should have) its own particular defined style, from tone-of-voice to the type of content covered. There is a certain expectation for the kind of content your followers expect you to put out. Playing around and occasionally subverting these expectations can be a great way to boost user engagement. Even big, established brands experiment with the type of content they offer.
Coca Cola outlined what they call the 70/20/10 rule as part of their Content 2020 roadmap.
This means 70% of content is the safe, low-risk, expected content. 20% is new and innovative content, like using different mediums and covering unusual topics. The last 10% is completely off the wall, high-risk high-reward type content. Take big risks and experiment with brand new ideas to see what sticks and what doesn’t work with your followers.
