Facebook is the first thought that crosses most people’s minds when you mention the words ‘social media’… and for good reason. The reach of Facebook is immense as it has slightly over 2 billion users and counting. That is not only amazing, but it’s a potential goldmine for marketers hoping to expand their reach.In this post, we’ll focus on 9 social media engagement tips for Facebook, so you can build trust and rapport among your followers.
All you need to do is be interesting, engaging, trustworthy and consistent… and your fans will trust your recommendations and buy what you’re selling. We are going to focus on Facebook fan pages and Facebook groups because both are free and easy to set up.
Nowadays Facebook wants marketers to ‘pay for play’ and that is one of the main reasons that fan pages aren’t as effective as they used to be, but it still has some reach. Whether you’re running a fan page, group or even an email list there is always one factor that you have to keep in mind and that is “Be Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy!”
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So, let’s dive straight in to my 9 social media engagement tips for Facebook
1) Pick a name that is easy to remember
This is the most important point. The name you choose for your page or group should be easy to remember, catchy and it must represent your brand or personality. It could also be something related to your niche. ‘Dave’s KDP Zone’ is an example of a good name. ‘Dave’s KDP Zone With Great Maze and Puzzlebooks for the Elderly’ is not. Keep it short, relevant and simple.
2) Optimize your page for SEO
While our main goal is not about search engine optimization, it doesn’t hurt to do it. You can easily optimize your page by putting your keywords in the page name and the description. Once you get more than 25 likes on your page, you should create a customized vanity URL.
If we use the example from above, it would be: https://www.facebook.com/daveskdpzone.
3) Links, links and…even more links
Link back to your page or group from anywhere you can think off. Link from your blogs, YouTube channels, emails, shortcuts in your product files (if you’re selling products) etc. The more links you have pointing back to your page or group, the easier it gets for people to find your page. One of the keys to grow your following is to cast your net wide and make it as easy as possible to reel people in.
4) Increase your engagement
It doesn’t matter if you have one fan on your page or twenty thousand fans. You start engaging from day one. Share pictures and videos and highlight interesting events or details. It doesn’t always have to be about selling. Ideally, you should not post more than 5 times a day. This will ensure that your page has some balance. Nobody wants to be part of a constant pitch fest.
If you’re running a page dedicated to helping men get six pack abs, you can share a post about how ‘dad bods’ are the latest trend and ask them their opinions. This will spark into a lot of conversation and engagement, and that is exactly what the Facebook algorithm loves. Facebook will start to look upon your page or group more favorably.
5) Make your members feel valued
Giveaways and contests are always a great way to increase engagement. When you give away free items you’ll definitely perk everyone’s interest.
Generate conversation with your members. Reply to as many comments as you can. Post pictures and ask for captions. Do whatever it takes to connect with your audience. This is ‘social’ media and therefore this is not a one-way street.
Many FB fan page or group owners do not interact enough with their audience. They only make a post or two and than disappear, leaving the members out in the cold only to interact amongst themselves. These kind of Facebook group owners will never build up trust and likeability with their followers because they are never around.
6) Avoid the cesspool
No matter how engaging and helpful you are going to be, there will ALWAYS be a handful of fools who post negative comments or try to make a mockery out of your page. NEVER argue or start a meaningless debate with these people. You’ll just be wasting your time and energy. It’s pointless and it doesn’t help you or your brand in any way.
You can give polite answers and if they persist in being nasty, you can always ban them from your page or group. You should not tolerate nastiness from anyone. In fact, booting them out of your group quickly will not only mean less trouble for you, but it will also keep your page or group a positive and fun place to be.
7) Share useful and valuable posts
You can share posts from other pages or websites in your page or group. It doesn’t always have to be about you and your brand. By sharing valuable information with your following, you’ll be building trust and rapport because you are offering the things that they really need.
8) Be consistent
Trust is built with consistency. Do not expect any engagement if you only post once per month. Out of sight = out of mind. Make it a habit to post at least twice a day. Do not go overboard and post 10 times a day because the constant notifications will annoy your audience.
You should also plan your post timing. Depending on where most of your audience is located, you should post at a time when they’d be on Facebook. If your post goes out in the middle of the night when they’re fast asleep, there’ll not be as much engagement since your post will be buried among all the other posts that appear on their feed later in the day.
You’ll want to have a plan to determine just what you’ll post on a daily basis. It’s good to have a customer avatar so you know what type of content will fit with your audience.
9) Check your stats
Facebook Insights provides detailed analytics for you to know exactly how well your page or group is doing. Look at your stats and analyze them. If you’re lacking in a few areas, try a few strategies to overcome these issues. It may require more posts, better content, a different timing, etc. You’ll only know when you test it out.
Keep these 9 tips in mind when engaging an audience on Facebook and you’ll do better than most pages or groups out there. Always remember one thing, Be Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy.