5 Things To Stop Doing On Facebook To Increase Engagement
If you are using Facebook to build a business you no doubt want to leverage this social media platform to it’s full potential but with the constant changes it can be frustrating trying to stay on top of what works and what doesn’t work. Just about the time you gain some traction changes are made to the algorithm and you feel like you are starting all over.
While I understand how frustrating it can be, energy is best spent focusing on what we can control rather than what we can not.
Whether you are building a personal brand through your personal page, a Facebook business page or both, these tips are sure to help you stay away from what doesn’t work when marketing on Facebook so you can focus on what does work.
There are lots of ways to market successfully on Facebook but in this blog post we are going to tackle the 5 most important things to stop doing on Facebook so you can increase your engagement and build more trust with your audience. When your audience trusts you, they will buy from you and you can build a business earning $1,000 or more per month in your business.
1. STOP POSTING TOO MUCH
When it comes to posting on most social media platforms, less is truly more. With over a billion users on Facebook, the algorithm is designed to show priority to content that gives value and drives engagement. Posting multiple times per day is actually hurting you. When you make several posts that receive little to no engagement, Facebook is measuring your content as not that valuable which means it disappears quickly from the newsfeed.
So instead of trying to post as much as you can, instead focus on posting 1-2 times per day and sharing something of real value. Share a great tip, give your audience a solution to a problem, post something meaningful and valuable or a post that is funny and entertaining. Use high quality images or graphics that will grab attention in the newsfeed.
This post on my Facebook personal page not only generated lots of likes and comments but also shares because my network found it entertaining. When you have a post like this that is doing well, don’t mess it up by posting over it 2 hours later. Let it “live” in the feed as long as possible.
2. STOP IGNORING STORIES
Facebook replicated Instagram’s story feature in May of 2018 but they are greatly underutilized. The huge advantage of Facebook stories is it allows you to let your hair down more. Be more real and raw with your audience. You don’t have to worry about a more polished post like what goes on your timeline and your audience will love it.
Stories are short clips of you, your life and your thoughts in a more behind the scenes kind of way. You don’t have to craft a long post. With the sad death of Luke Perry, I shared my thoughts about it through a story as it felt more real in the moment than crafting a huge post about it.
So don’t ignore the power of stories to connect with your audience.
3. STOP PUTTING LINKS IN POSTS
Facebook wants to keep their users on their platform so posting external links is a sure fire way to tank your reach. They also look spammy especially when you are posting about a service or product. Something of value like a blog post is okay but just know an external link is going to affect your organic reach.
Try putting the link inside the comments and prompting your audience to check the comments for more info.
4. STOP FISHING FOR COMMENTS
Also known as “engagement bait”, Facebook is not a fan of posts that attempt to manipulate likes and comments. You know the type of posts that feel like they are begging for results. “Like this post if you agree!” They scream icky and can have the opposite affect of what you are looking for Facebook flags it and no one sees it in the newsfeed.
Get creative by focusing on posts that are fun and generate curiosity. People love to give their opinion and advice. Ask your followers the best place to travel with kids over the summer, if you should wear a blue or red dress on a date with your spouse, ask for some good book recommendations or a good movie to see.
These types of posts will generate a ton of more comments than a post where you are expecting people to like, comment or share simply because you asked them to.
5. STOP FORGETTING YOUR AUDIENCE ARE REAL PEOPLE
To go along with tip #4, it’s important to remember that your audience are real people. Don’t talk at them but to them. To build rapport and influence with your audience you have to invest in getting to know them and caring about their thoughts, feelings and opinions. You can’t show up every day and talk at your audience, disappear and expect to get very far.
In this post I wanted to see how others were feeling about the whacky March weather and 61 people shared their thoughts in the form of a .gif making this not only a very engaging post but a super fun one too.
So how about it friend? Did this post help change your perspective about how to market using Facebook and how not to?Spend the next week to focus on making these changes and see how they affect the results you are getting. I guarantee you will see your engagement improve when you choose quality over quantity.
Want to hear me cover these tips? Hop over to my The Bossy Beauty podcast and get access to a fun bonus tip and catch my other episodes.
Terri Willingham is a free-spirited entrepreneur who enjoys the country life on a Texas ranch with her husband Joe and amazing two boys. She is is grounded in faith and family with a deep passion for spreading joy and empowering other women through her Bossy Beauty community to embrace and believe in their own inner free spirit. Learn more HERE