Are your Facebook posts not generating the amount of fan engagement you would like them to? If you are looking to gain more likes, comments and shares on your posts, there are a few simple tips you can try.
The first thing that can help increase the engagement of your Facebook posts is figuring out the right time to post. Studies have found 
that posts made before or after the workday had an engagement rate 20% higher than average. Posting around 7 am, after business hours and at night are the best times to post if you’re looking for your fans to interact with you. The day you post can also affect engagement. It has been found that engagement rates drop on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday posts have been found to generate 18% more engagement than posts on the first three days of the week. If you’re looking to post on the weekend, your best bet for sparking engagement with your fans is on Sunday.
Another great way to increase your Facebook engagement is to ask questions. Posts with questions could include asking about your customers’ preferences, asking them to help name a new product or asking them to share a favorite memory that is associated with your brand. All of your customers want to be heard, so asking them direct questions will dramatically increase your engagement. If you do post questions, make sure you monitor your customers’ feedback and respond to their comments in a timely manner.
Asking fans to choose between two options by either liking or sharing your posts will also help increase your fan engagement. For example, you could post two of your products and have fans like to vote for one product or share the post to vote for the other product. Since these types of posts will get shared on many of your fans’ walls, make sure you include your logo and other branding items on these posts.
Using hashtags can expose your posts to much larger audiences than those that already like your page. When using hashtags, it’s important to use common terms, such as #socialmedia, that a large number of people will be searching for. If you’re unsure of what hashtags to use, you can search for different hashtags to see which ones are already generating the most engagement. One important thing to remember about hashtags is to not use too many of them. One or two hashtags is the most you should ever include in a Facebook post. Any more than that will distract from your message.
Another great way to increase engagement on your Facebook business page is by sharing specials offers with your fans. Promoting sales and discounts with your Facebook posts increases interest in your brand and provides incentive for your fans to engage with you. Sales and discounts are also likely to be shared by your fans, since they want to pass the savings along to friends.
Using contests on your Facebook page can also greatly increase interaction with your fans. Facebook has recently changed the way that Facebook business pages can run contests. Business pages are now allowed to have fans like or comment on their posts to be entered into the contest. Since everyone likes to win something free, asking fans to like or comment on your posts to be entered to win a prize is a surefire way to get them to engage with the post.
One last piece of advice for improving the engagement on your Facebook fan page is to include images in your posts. Studies have shown that posts with images generate more engagement than those that do not. Make sure all the images you share are good quality and are compelling images that relate to your brand. Using images that look generic is a turn off to most Facebook users.
Now that you know the basics for increasing fan engagement on your Facebook business page, give these tips a try for yourself! If you would like help creating a social media plan or developing your posts, Faster Solutions would be happy to help.
