When Internet marketers talk about “engagement” on Facebook, what do they mean? They are probably not talking about someone’s wedding plans, although that is possible on the social network. Instead, they are likely referring to engagement in terms of igniting user interaction via comments, shares, and reactions (likes), video views, saves, or link clicks.
The more Facebook engagement you get, the better your organic search reach. As your likes and shares multiply, the visibility of your posts increases to your audience’s extended network. And, best of all, the Facebook algorithm loves engagement, which can help you secure prime placement on News Feeds. Combine all of the above, and it is easy to see why engagement is essential to growing your Facebook audience.
How to Increase Facebook User Engagement
What does it take to increase Facebook engagement? We give tips on how to increase Facebook engagement below.
Understand Your Audience on Facebook
It is easy to fall into the trap of posting things that inspire or entertain you. However, that should not be the focus of your posts, as your audience is who you are trying to engage.
To figure out the wants and needs of your audience, you will need to do some research. You can begin this quest by visiting your Facebook Page Insights that will tell you the breakdown of your fans in terms of gender, age, location, language, and more. You can then use those insights to research further and find what makes such people tick and what is trending in their minds.
Read: Tips to Increase Instagram Engagement.
Don’t Just Sell to Your Facebook Followers
If someone gives you a sales pitch, does that motivate you to interact? Probably not, and if it does, it may only be because you want to interact negatively. That is why when you are looking to boost Facebook engagement, your posts should inform, inspire, entertain, or teach your audience and not just sell to them.
Many companies sell products that avoid 24/7 sales with their posts to create engagement, so if you are stuck with this, know it is possible. In short, think of how you can improve your audience’s lives in some way or offer a solution to a problem they have. Or, at the very least, make them smile.
Read: Top Social Media Tips for Twitter.
Authenticity is Vital
Even though Facebook has exploded to serve many purposes, what’s its core purpose? To connect with others. How can you connect? By being authentic and genuine.
Do not be afraid to be human with some of your content. Be relatable by posting pics without tons of filters now and then. Share personal experiences. You can even share your raw emotions. By making such authentic moves, you are bound to entice engagement and let your audience know that someone is sitting behind that page besides some brand or business.
Quality, Not Quantity
Should you post regularly to keep in touch with your audience and increase chances for engagement? Sure, but if you are spewing out tons of posts that lack quality, it will backfire.
What makes a quality post? Besides making sure that it informs, entertains, inspires, or teaches something, the graphics should be great. Try to keep color schemes consistent and use images that are recognizable or interesting.
Since it can be challenging to develop new, original content constantly, do not be afraid to share interesting posts from others. As long as it gets your audience excited or provides a service in some way, you are golden.
Read: Best Social Media Optimization Tips.
Short and Sweet is the Goal
We are bombarded with information at every turn, which can be overwhelming. Keeping this in mind, you should try to make your Facebook posts short and sweet so you can capture attention, get your point across, and spur user engagement.
An interesting photo and a pair of sentences should do the trick. If you notice that your posts are turning into novels, it is time to start shortening them.
What is another reason to keep things short and sweet? A vast majority of Facebook users are on mobile devices, and they do not have a ton of real estate to view lengthy posts.
Ask Questions to Increase Facebook User Engagement
How do you start a conversation in person? Ask a question. How can you do the same on Facebook? Ask a question!
It is very simple to ignite interaction by asking questions on Facebook. Not only can you get the engagement you seek, but you can also learn more about your audience so you can craft future content with laser-like precision instead of time-consuming trial and error.
A great question to ask is what type of content your audience wants to see from you. Other questions that work well include, “What’s your favorite ___?” “How do you (complete a certain action)?” and “Do you agree with (some current event, person, etc.)?”
Don’t Forget Images
What makes a person stop scrolling through their massive feed? Often, it is an impactful photo or image, which is why you should spend extra time picking those perfect pics. It is no secret that photos can boost engagement rates. Luckily, they do not all have to be professional-grade, as Facebook says that simple shots like customer pics or product close-ups work wonders.
Your phone’s camera is all you need to take engagement-driving pics. Just make sure the framing and lighting are good. And if you feel like your pictures are missing something, you can always opt for stock photos taken by professionals.
Use Videos to Boost Facebook Engagement
While photos are great at boosting Facebook engagement, videos are even better. Again, all you need is your phone to take videos, so you do not have to break the budget to get started.
As for which videos work best, Facebook Live provides the most engagement of all formats, with vertical vids being ideal for your mobile audience. And when posting videos, upload them directly to Facebook instead of somewhere else, as native vids give bigger algorithm boosts.
Strive for Posting Consistency
An audience that is used to engaging with your posts will start looking for more content from you. If they do not get it consistently and when they expect it, they could lose interest, which will result in you losing that engagement.
To become consistent with posting, you will need to figure out the best times to post. Those best times are when your audience is online. To find out when your audience is active, use Page Insights. You can find it at the top of your Facebook Page by clicking on “Insights.” Next, click on “Posts.” Then, click on “When your fans are online.”
Interact with Your Fans
You could post amazing engagement-inspiring content. But if you do not chime in and interact with your fans, they may feel ignored and stop engaging in the future.
Of course, responding to every comment can be impossible if you are representing a large brand or business, which is why you should have a team that can monitor and respond for you.
To ensure you can always post when your fans are most active, use a tool to schedule your Facebook posts. Not only will it let you be free when it is posting time, but it will get you in the habit of producing content and ensuring your audience never misses what you have to share.
Create a Facebook Group
There are nearly two billion people who use Facebook groups to interact with others on specific topics. You can create a group on a relevant topic that aims to solve an actual pain point or problem your audience has, then tie your page to it to create extra engagement and brand loyalty.
Besides creating your own Facebook group, you can also become active in others within your industry to get your name out to the public.
