Facebook is the first thought that crosses most people’s minds when you mention the words ‘social media’… and for good reason. It has immense reach, and recent statistics show that it has slightly over 2 billion users. That is not only amazing, but it’s a potential goldmine for marketers hoping to expand their reach.
In this article, we’ll focus on several different tips to increase your engagement with your audience, and turn them from loyal fans into paying customers. 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’ll focus on Facebook fan pages and Facebook groups in this article because both are free to set up. While fan pages are not as effective as they used to be because Facebook wants marketers to ‘pay to play’, it does have some reach. Either way, the same principles apply whether you’re running a fan page, group or even an email list.
The mantra is always – “Be Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy!”
1. Pick a memorable name
This is the most important point. The name you pick for your page/group should be memorable, strong and catchy.
It could be your brand or something related to your niche. ‘Jeff’s Kettlebell Zone’ is an example of a good name. ‘Jeff’s Fitness with Kettlebells for Men, Women and Grannies’ is not.
Keep it short, relevant and simple.
2. Optimize for SEO
While search engine optimization is not the focus here, it doesn’t hurt to do it. Strategically insert your main keywords in your page name, description, etc.
When you get 25 likes on your page, create a customized vanity URL.
If we used the example from above, it would be: https://www.facebook.com/jeffskettlebellzone
3. Links, links and more links
Link to your page/group from anywhere you can think of. Link from your blogs, YouTube channels, emails, shortcuts in your product files (if you’re selling products) etc. The more links you have pointing to your page or group, the more people will find you.
One of the keys to increasing your audience 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 1. Share pictures and videos and highlight interesting events or details. It doesn’t always have to be about selling. Ideally, you should only pitch once every 3 to 5 posts. This will ensure that your page has some balance. Nobody wants to be part of a 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. You can bet that this will spark a lot of conversation, and that’s fantastic because the Facebook algorithm loves to see engagement in pages and groups. It will look upon your page/group more favorably.
5. Make your members feel valued
You could run giveaways and contests 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 you can to connect with your audience. This is ‘social’ media. Social means that it’s not a one-way street.
Many FB fan page/group owners do not interact enough with their audience. They just make a post or two and disappear, leaving the members to interact amongst themselves. It’s next to impossible to build loyalty and likability if you’re never around to bond with your audience.
6. Avoid the cesspool
No matter what niche you’re in on how good you try to be, there will ALWAYS be a handful of people who post negative comments or try to troll your page. NEVER argue with them or engage in hot debate. You’ll just be sinking into a pit with them. It’s pointless and doesn’t help your image.
You can give polite answers and if they persist in being nasty, you can bring the ban hammer down on them and boot them out of your page or group. There is absolutely no need to endure nastiness from anyone. In fact, removing them quickly will not only mean less trouble for you, but will also keep your page/group a positive place to be.
7. Share useful posts
Feel free to share posts from other pages or sites in your page or group. It doesn’t always have to be about you and your brand. By sharing useful information with your fans, you’ll be providing value and building trust because you’re helping them with what they need.
8. Be consistent
Trust is built with consistency. Do not make one post every two months and expect engagement. Out of sight = out of mind. You need to post regularly. Posting once or twice every day is fine. Do not go overboard and post 10 times a day. 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 amidst 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/groups out there. Always remember the mantra – Be Interesting, Engaging and Trustworthy.
