In January Facebook announced it would be reconfiguring its news feed algorithm. Facebook will now focus more heavily on giving its users a more meaningful social interaction. Meaning it’s going to show you posts that have engagement or will spark in engagement and not mindless videos you can just watch or posts that aren’t going to engage in social discussions.
What does this mean for your Facebook business page? In a nutshell, it means you can start posting less content and start posting more meaningful content when it’s actually valuable to you, your business and your customer base. Getting good valuable comments with more than 2 or 3 words in it is what you need to aim for when you post, as this will help others see your posts organically. You want to engage your audience in the comment feed and start real conversations.
Here are 5 different types of posts you can make on Facebook to start engaging your audience:
1. Ask a question relevant to your local area. Has something happened in the news, in your town or city? Share your thoughts on the matter and ask what your Facebook audience thinks. You can even share the link to the news article if you wish.
For example : The city plans on expanding parking lots at local park and ride, train stations. You can share the story and ask the question. How often do you use the park and ride?
2. Start a “Which would you rather” question relevant to your business. The question is random but it will get your audience talking. It’s important that you as the owner also engage and reply to comments as they’re made keeping up the conversation. It’s good to post a graphic with these kinds of questions.
For example: If you own a salon & spa you could ask the question. Would you rather get free facials or free pedicures for a year?
3. Ask a silly “Which would you rather” question. Post something like this for Friday afternoons, when many people are still at work but possibly checking out of work mode and switching into weekend mode and want to take break and see what’s going on with Facebook.
For example: Would you rather go without chips or chocolate for the year? It’s a silly fun post that gets people answering, and creates awareness about your company in an indirect way.
4. Guess that famous… This one is for fun as well, you can post a picture of a famous movie character that played a role related to your industry and ask your audience if they know the name of the movie? Similarly, you could post amazing pictures from around the world and see if your audience knows where the photo was taken. Try to spin all these to be coherent with your brand, and business.
5. Tell a story. Share a long written post (not too long) about something amazing or not so amazing that happened in regards to the business during the last week or month and ask for feedback and see where it goes, or just share the story if its compelling enough. People love to hear about stories and do actually want to know what’s going on with you and your company. Don’t forget to post any pictures you may have that relate to the story.
For example: Your company receives an award from an industry partner. You share your story and what this means to you personally. Or, perhaps you made an error on a customer order, so you can talk about how this happened (we’re all human, we make mistakes) and what you did to rectify the situation, make sure you add in the business and personal lessons you’ve learned in regards to this.
Bottom Line: Your goal on Facebook is to share about who you are as a brand and as business and not to simply share your special offers. The questions to ask yourself before posting to Facebook should be the following:
- Will my audience want to comment on this post?
- Does this help my audience get to know my business and brand?
- Is this authentic to the business and me?
If you’ve answered yes to any or all of these questions then chances are you’re doing a great job, helping your Facebook audience get to know more about your business and help you stay top of mind.
If you have any questions regarding Facebook or any other social media please connect with us or check out our hands-on workshops.
