Facebook offers enormous value to companies that know how to maximize the platform's capabilities for their own benefit. But many businesses aren't clear on how they should manage their Facebook presence. According to Buffer, as organic reach declines, the need for a solid Facebook engagement strategy grows. If you aren't giving your audience exactly what they want, they can always go elsewhere — social media platforms are full of competitors.
But despite the high stakes, Facebook isn't some mysterious portal to your audience. Here are 10 ways to engage with your audience and get the most out of your brand's Facebook page.
1. Post Updates Daily
The regular use of Facebook will be rewarded. Brands should be posting every day, even on the weekends. The number of potential posts will depend on how much original content and other information you have to share, but many non-media brands publish multiple times per day.
2. Choose Content That Responds to a Consumer Need
You should post updates often, but they shouldn't be superfluous. Before you write a post, you should make sure that it is highly relevant to your audience and offers unique, worthwhile content.
3. Engage in Conversation
According to HubSpot, consumers are most interested in brands that engage in a dialogue through social media. Companies should ask questions on these platforms and listen to what their audience has to say. As a bonus, this type of activity is more likely to show up in news feeds.
4. Use Facebook as a Customer Service Tool
As ZDNet notes, an Accent Marketing survey indicated that Facebook is by far the top social platform for handling customer service inquiries. Rather than try to direct consumers elsewhere, brands should respond to complaints and inquiries right on the platform in a timely matter.
5. Run a Facebook-Only Promotion
Launching a promotion is a simple way to encourage engagement. By providing special Facebook-only discounts or offers of free shipping, you can give casual consumers another reason to follow your page and check it frequently.
6. Offer Prizes That Will Encourage Your Audience to Engage With Your Content
Many companies encourage Facebook "likes," comments and content sharing by turning all such activity into an entry for a prize or other offer. This encourages brand advocacy among consumers and can spur on tons of organic traffic in a short span of time.
7. Skip the Photos — Post Videos
Sure, text posts are great, but Business Insider points out that Facebook has been recently shifting its strategy toward favoring video with the strongest organic reach. Perhaps most surprisingly though, photo posts, once thought of as the best way to reach your audience, now have the worst organic reach levels. You should use think about using more video and less photos to maximize your exposure.
8. Post at Times of Peak Engagement
Don't drop new updates in the middle of the night: According to HubSpot, Facebook engagement is highest in the afternoons, so you should time your posts to be concentrated during these peak hours. Thursdays and Fridays see the best results for a typical campaign.
9. Learn From Your High-Performing Posts
Use Facebook's built-in analytics platform to see which content is performing the best and what times of the day have the greatest organic reach and engagement. Then use these insights to improve your content delivery in the future.
10. Include a Call-to-Action
Even a subtle call-to-action can encourage consumers to engage with your content. As such, calls-to-action should be a regular part of your Facebook posts.
By following this list of best practices, you can solidify your Facebook engagement strategy and start getting more out of your social media presence.
