Increase Facebook Engagement to Reach Your Target Audience in 4 Steps

As far as a marketing plan goes, many people tend to push social media to the bottom of the list. Unfortunately for those people, they are missing an excellent opportunity for engagement and brand awareness. Facebook, in particular, is a critical outlet for promoting content, engaging with your community, and branding your business.

Why is Facebook So Important?

More people are on Facebook than any other social media platform.

Facebook offers the opportunity to share content in multiple forms and mediums. While it’s true that we all learn in different ways, there is no doubt that we are living in a visual world. If you’ve landed a coveted space on someone’s newsfeed, you’ve got a short window of time to keep this person interested in what you’re saying. Facebook allows you to make that quick connection, and it offers this for free. Take advantage of this opportunity, and increase your engagement on Facebook.

Increased engagement will put you in front of a bigger audience. Have you noticed how posts will appear in your newsfeed even if you didn’t like the business page, or friend the person whose wall it is posted to? That’s because Facebook’s algorithm positions these trending topics in front of the people who are interconnected.
 

This means you have the opportunity to show up in many different news feeds if you generate more engagement. This is part of your Branding, which is the first of the Foster Web Marketing Ten Marketing Commandments.

1. Post Pictures

Photos increase engagement on any type of post. Whether you are trying to drive traffic to your site, show off a new office location or employee, or generate excitement about an event, do it with pictures. Photos get 39 percent more interaction than text-only posts.

To drive people back to your website with a link, be sure to include a relevant photo and short description. You can use a photo of your own, or purchase one from a site like Shutterstock or Getty Images. We recommend using candid photos where possible. Don't be shy about showing off you and your team on social media!

To increase brand awareness and generate engagement, share photos of your customers and clients (if you have permission—this will play to their ego which almost always elicits engagement), your own team, and the goings-on around the office. Be sure to tag each person in the photos. These photos will be exposed to a wider audience. All of the people who are friends with your employees will now see these photos, and are able to like, comment, and share.

2. Ask a Question

Posts that ask a question receive more engagement. Is there a hot-button topic that people are talking about? If it’s relevant to you, ask your audience what they think! If there is a community event or big news story in your area, ask your audience for their opinions. Many people respond well to yes/no questions (it requires less effort to think of a response), but don’t be afraid to pose tougher questions as well.

3. Be Consistent

If you’ve gained attention from your audience, keep them there! The Internet is a busy place with lots of distractions. You need to position yourself in front of your audience to keep them engaged. Don’t make them come looking for you. Keep posting interesting and relevant content, but don't go bonkers and over-share. Try posting once a day to see what resonates with your followers. You can post more or less than this depending on how much interaction you get from your followers.

4. Be Social!

This rule is the one most frequently broken! If you are not actively engaging with other businesses and responding to comments, you are very likely going to have a hard time gathering an audience or following. Social media is a great way to promote your brand, but above all it is a place to be social. If you are not joining the conversation, or if you are only focused on your own agenda, your audience is going to lose interest. Replicate what you do in real life on your social media pages. Communicate and share with other businesses online, and pull clients and business contacts into the conversation.

What works for you? We'd love to know what you do to generate more engagement on Facebook. Leave a comment below, and share your success story.

Is Your Law Firm Or Medical Practice Getting Leads From Your Social Media Marketing Efforts?

Not convinced your current social media marketing is converting leads into clients? No worries! Foster Web Marketing can help. Please contact us online or call our office directly at 888.866.0939 to schedule your free consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.