Social media engagement is more than just a buzz phrase these days. We all know it’s not just about sharing content, it’s about creating discussion with your audience. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
What if you post to Facebook regularly, but just can’t seem to get people talking? It might not be what you’re sharing, but how you’re sharing it. Here are five ways to get the most out of each Facebook post:
Images
Whether it’s a news story, blog post or web page, find an image and attach it to your post. Facebook posts that contain images receive significantly more engagement than ones that contain text only.
Appealing images stand out more in news feeds and are much easier to share than written status updates.
Questions
Want your audience to talk? Ask them a question. Think about it. If someone comes up to you on the street and says “Nice weather today” you might smile and nod. But if they say “What do you think about this weather?” you would probably respond and possibly strike up a more meaningful conversation.
Don’t just push content on your audience. Ask them what they think.
Fill in the blank
Much like questions, “fill in the blank” statuses encourage your audience to respond. It gets them thinking, and gives them an opportunity to share something about their life. The more you get them to think in that moment, the more likely they are to think about you later.
Example: Finish this sentence: “this weekend I will ________.”
Call to action
If you want people to sign up for a newsletter, read your blog post or answer questions on a survey, tell them so. It’s not enough to just share a link with a summary of the article. Tell them what you want them to do.
It may seem simple, but simply telling someone to click on a link actually increases click through rates drastically.
Quotes & Captions
Want to inspire your audience, or make them think? Share an insightful, thought-provoking or inspirational quote. If people can relate to it, they will like it, share it and remember who posted it.
Or challenge readers to provide a caption for an funny image or photo gallery. See who comes up with the most creative caption and promote or reward the best contributions from readers.
Of course, you will have to determine what works for your audience, but these are proven tactics to get people talking.
What kind of Facebook posts work best with your audience? Tell us in the comments below.