Sure, it’s the social network with more than 2 billion users, many of whom are active every day — but ask yourself, is Facebook actually helping your business? If you’ve been dissatisfied with the reach of your posts and are wondering how to get more clicks on your links, there are steps you can take to boost post engagement.
Whether you’re trying to attract more clients, build engagement with current clients or just generally wanting to increase exposure for your business, think strategically about how and what you post. Here are eight tips for making the most of your Facebook business content.
1. Use images and video
Research from Smart Insights shows that 74.8 percent of paid Facebook ads are paid post links — links posted with short textual descriptions and a short preview of the linked page. Because they’re so common, they’re often lost in the sea of other ads.
Video, on the other hand, makes up only 15.1 percent of ads, and images just 8.2 percent. For better engagement, these avenues offer more potential — they’re less common and easier to notice.
2. Break free from the Facebook blues
When you’re using images in your Facebook posts, stick to high-quality, bright, eye-catching images that won’t blend in with the Facebook blues. When possible, feature people in your pictures — happy people are especially effective, and photos of women tend to fare better than photos of men.
3. Ask questions
Questions engage users and give them reasons to respond. Do you want to know more about your followers? Are you interested in getting feedback on an idea? Use Facebook to ask questions, or publish polls and surveys that request input.
4. Keep it short
If you’re tempted to write a wordy heading and description to increase engagement with your ad, stop. Short posts fare better. According to Sprout Social, posts that are no more than 50 characters in length get the best engagement — so make your text short and to-the-point.
5. Use travel incentives
When you want to set yourself apart from other ads on Facebook, using a travel incentive can be incredibly powerful. By offering viewers the chance to enter a contest or participate in a promotion — such as discounts on event tickets or a giveaway for a trip — you give prospects a reason to click on your posts and learn more.
6. Include a clear call to action
It’s as true in Facebook ads as it is on a website landing page: if you want your viewers to complete a specific action, you have to ask them to do it. Be direct. Ask them to like, share, comment or visit your site. You can increase engagement by simply requesting action.
7. Timing is everything
When you post at the right times on social media, you reach a larger audience of users and expand the reach of your content. When is the best time on Facebook? According to research from Kissmetrics, the best day to post on Facebook is Saturday, and the best times to share is around noon or a little after 7 p.m.
8. Monitor and adjust
One of the best ways to make the most of your Facebook content is to pay attention to what’s working well. Look at your post statistics, and note what gets the most responses.
Do your followers engage with certain types of content more than others? Are they more engaged at certain times of the week? Every business has its unique audience, so the better you can cater to yours, the better your engagement becomes. Keep on top of what works, and adjust your posts accordingly.
When you’re looking to get more out of your Facebook usage, start with your posts and how you’re crafting them. Using the tips above, you can optimize your content to draw more users and build more engagement — so you can generate more leads, interact with more prospects and enjoy the advantages that come from this powerful social network!
