how to get more interaction on your facebook page
karen gunton
we all know that the recent changes to facebook have effected how well our posts show up in newsfeeds. we have all felt the effects, i am sure!
i am still seeing pages comment ‘my posts aren’t showing up any more! if you want to see my posts in your newsfeed, click like!’ ummmmm, nice try but only people who are already seeing your posts in your newsfeed will click like, and that isn’t going to help you show up in anyone else’s newsfeed! and it actually doesn’t help that much for those likers either, your updates will show up for a bit but then fade away into obscurity once more.
long term, rich interaction is what you are after!
(read about edgerank – facebook’s algorithm for posts. sign up for edgerank checker)
here are some tips:
1. post often
once a day is probably not going to reach many people anymore, you should try to post every couple of hours if you can, or at least a few times each day.
check your insights. when do you get the most interaction? are there times you aren’t posting that you could make more effort on?
2. vary your posts
this is especially important if you are posting more often, but it will also help your edgerank. follow the 1:10 rule; for every 1 ‘salesy’ post (something for you) make 10 engaging posts (something for your fans).
trying to think of new things to post?
- infographic
- photograph
- youtube video
- article/website link
- pinterest link/image
- comic/cartoon/something funny
- something snarky or sarcastic
- something inspirational - a quote, verse, or saying
- a question (yours or one from a reader/fan)
- fan story/experience
- comment on a news story
- an opinion (yours or someone else’s)
- instructions for something/a ‘how to’
- your review of something
3. have a call to action
it is not enough to just post something interesting, if you want people to engage on your page you need to ask them to respond to the things you post!
not only will this improve your ‘talking about’ numbers and make your posts show up more often in newsfeeds, you will also get to actually engage with your fans. and isn’t that the point of a facebook page after all. (keep the social in social media people!)
make it simple and fun for fans to engage. what seems to work well?
- shorter posts seem to get more engagement than long ones.
- asking fans to reply with just one or a few words will often get the most engagement.
- people also seem to love providing their opinions and advice so that is a great thing to ask for too.
need some ideas to vary your call to action and get people responding? try these:
- fill in the blank
- vote on your favourite
- click ‘like’ if you agree
- click ‘share’ and post to your page – help us spread the word
- offer your opinion – what do you think?
- give your advice – can you help?
- true/false
- yes/no/maybe (or as i always ask: yay/nay/meh)
- =) / =( / =| (or try: like/dislike/don’t care if you aren’t into smileys)
- thumbs up/thumbs down
- on a scale of one to ten, give a rating
- what is wrong with this graphic/sentence/photograph?
4. use your page in new ways
you don’t have to (and in fact shouldn’t) use your page to sell sell sell your thing all the time. think about your target (your ideal customer or right people) – what interests them? what fears do they have? what problems? what would be entertaining to them? what would THEY like to share or talk about.
- ask fans to submit their best instagram photos
- ask fans to post a favorite website/shop/blog/magazine/youtube video/song/book/quote/kids toy
- ask fans to share a story or experience
- have a fun contest/competition (no prize necessary but the glory!)
- have theme days: Q/A day, funny image day, best recipe day, most awesome pinterest find day, helpful tip day, eye-candy to get your through a crappy monday day (hello! i would pop by and visit just for that!)
just imagine that your facebook page is like having a little coffee corner in your shop (or a cocktail hour. hello! i would pop by and visit just for that!) if your 'right people' could pop in and have a coffee and chat, what would you chat about?
have fun. make it fun. that’s the beauty of facebook. it is not your shop. it is a place to make your shop more personal, engaging, and appealing.
what can you do to create that with your page?
would you like to chat more about using facebook for your biz? would you like to get answers to all of your facebook questions? would you like to brainstorm ideas for kicking ass on facebook? click here to read about the FREE “facebook for biz” online workshop.
Reader Comments (6)
You have a great way of hitting the nail on the head.
I agree, understanding the dynamics of Facebook is essential to making the most of it.
I would love to share this with my online community.
Although my business is fairly new on the scene, I have tried to focus on building a community by engaging them through relevant information and links, as well as responding to their questions.
I look at my Facebook analytics and do my best to offer them something of interest.
Thanks for a great article. I'm going to read it again.
So true, and so well put.
There is a myth that 'techies' should be running social media accounts, but it is all about the social engagement. It HAS to be someone who can speak, who isn't shy, is curious and want's to 'know and share' -Like your analogy, you wouldn't send a shy mute in to host your coffee morning would you?
I love how I open your newsletter every Saturday morning over my first cup of coffee and something within is exactly what I needed to start the next week. I have been trying to figure out ideas on how to gain more "likes" and comments on my facebook. I do not post often enough and have trouble figuring out what exactly to post...having contests is a great idea and I especially love your "having a call to action". This is an article worth printing and pinning! Thanks!
Thanks for another great post to get me thinking Karen.
I've been using my blog posts (which show up on my page via Networked Blogs) to tell people about the stuff I've been making. I'll try to use some more of these ideas this week.
@kimberly - thank you so much! 'an article worth printing' is just about the best compliment you can give a blogger. and i LOVE hearing that you read the toolbox with your weekend coffee - so awesome! =)
@kellie - that is sooo true!! i am glad you brought that up, and what a great extension of my analogy =)
@NCM - YES!! keep building that community, you won't regret it =)
@debra - i am so glad i got you thinking. my job is done! =)
This is a really fantastic article, facebook is an amazing tool for my business and I always get people asking me how they can improve there pages, it's about putting in the work.
I just shared this article on pinterest and twitter(will post it later on FB too)