6 Proven Tactics that Increase Engagement on Facebook

What is Facebook engagement and why it’s important for any business?

Facebook engagement is any action someone takes on your Facebook Page or one of your posts. The most common examples of Facebook engagement are likes, comments, follows and shares, but it can also include checking in to your location or tagging you in a post.
On the technical side of it, when people engage with your posts, Facebook’s algorithm will reward you by extending your organic reach (organic reach is basically free traffic). Facebook has mentioned multiple times that user experience is their number one goal and if your content is helping them keep users engaged on their platform, they will make sure your content is seen by more people.

But engagement is much more than that…

Engagement means “I care, I trust, I want more”…

Whether you are a restaurant owner in Virginia or a local real estate firm in New York engagement matters! The likes, comments, shares on any given Facebook post, is an important trust building indicator between you and your customers.
Either directly or indirectly, one of the primary goals of posting on Facebook and all of the other social media platforms, is to get people interested in your brand, build trust, reach new audiences, create word of mouth, drive quality traffic to your website or landing pages and ultimately create a trusted community of repeat buyers.

Engagement is the first step into the relationship with your customers and the foundation in achieving any business objective. In real life it starts with a face –to – face conversation, on Facebook it starts with a “comment” on an interesting article you posted; and if you can consistently provide value through your content, people will continue to interact with your page, they will share your content and ultimately buy whatever it is that you are selling.
But for most cases achieving real business goals through Facebook Marketing doesn’t happen overnight!

Business Insider mentions that “Marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant states that to penetrate the buyer's consciousness and make significant penetration in a given market, you have to contact the prospect a minimum of 7 times within an 18-month period.”

To penetrate the buyer's consciousness on social media, consistency is key and engagement is an important metric to make sure you are in the right path in achieving your business goals.

So without further a due, here are 6 proven tactics that will help you increase engagement on your Facebook page.

#1 Post great content that relates to your audience

Going back to the basics if your content is not interesting, relevant and valuable to your audience don't expect people to engage with it.
With the Millions of Content being posted on Facebook daily you are competing with everyone for attention so make sure your content stands out and creates some type of value for your audience.

Ask yourself… ”Who is my ideal customer or target audience? “Once you know the answer to that, post content that is relevant to them and relates back to your product or service.

So for example if you are a real estate agent, post content that helps home buyers make smarter buying decisions in your local market. If you are a restaurant talk about the history of your cuisine, fun facts or health benefits of the ingredients you use or teach people how to make great cocktails at home.

Think of your content as a way to educate, inspire, entertain, inform your audience or solve a problem they are facing…a way to build rapport and trust with your audience before they even consider buying from you.

If your content does one or more of the above, your content marketing strategy will be much more effective and your engagement will increase as a result.

#2 Find and share viral content in your industry

Another way to get more engagement on Facebook is by leveraging viral and the trending content from the web or your competitors Facebook pages.
Use sites like alltop.com, buzzsumo.com and Google Trends to find viral / trending content and either repost them on your Facebook page or create original content around those topics.

You can also visit your competitors Facebook pages, find the posts with the highest engagement and then share it to your Facebook page.
By leveraging content that is already getting engagement you will be able to increase engagement on your Facebook page and reach more people organically.

#3 Ask Questions

Asking relevant, entertaining and interesting questions on your Facebook page is one of the easiest and fastest ways to increase engagement when done right.
Don't just ask them “how is your day going” put some thought to it and make sure it's a fun and engaging question.
Use canva.com to create an eye catching graphic and post your question.

#4 Boost your posts with small budgets

Boosting your best-performing posts with small budgets varying from $5- $30, depending on your marketing budget is a great way double triple or even quadruple your Facebook engagement fast.
Generally speaking when's your spending money to advertise on Facebook or Instagram it's good to have a call to action that can make that money that's your spending come back, but boosting your post on Facebook is a great way to consistently be in front of the eyes of your audience and increase your reach, brand awareness and engagement.

When boosting a post on Facebook is to only Target the "people who like your page" because they are much more likely and willing to engage with your posts cause they are already following you.
if you're looking for more advanced targeting options use Facebook's ads manager where you can really get measurable results on your advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram

#5 Reply to every comment & Comment on other pages

One of the biggest reasons people are not engaging with your Facebook posts, often overlooked, could be the fact that you are not responsive or never comment back to your audience. Just like in real life if you want to make friends and build a relationship you have to interact, exchange ideas and build a relationship through communicating.

Same goes for social media if you want to make more “Facebook Friends” you should respond to every comment and initiate a conversation with your audience. If you are not replying to your audience’s questions and comments, you are not nourishing the relationship and you are not giving them a reason to come back and engage more with you and your Facebook posts.

When you reply back to a comment, the person behind the screen feels more connected to you as a business and as a person. There a reason they call it “Social Media”, so every chance you get be social.

Another thing that can help you grow organically and increase your engagement on Facebook ,is by commenting on other pages or people’s profiles and leave your $0.02 cents. The most important thing here is to provide value with your comments , don’t just post emojis. Take the time to read what the other person is sharing and engage with them in meaningful ways.

#6 Post Relevant Original Video Content

Videos receive 135% more organic reach on average than a photo and more engagement. Video is a primary focus for Facebook & Instagram right now, which means their algorithm places more emphasis on video in the News Feed. If you deliver your message via video, it will reach more people and as a result you’re engagement will increase.

Video still remains one of the most effective ways to communicate and spread your message online. It projects both verbal & non – verbal communication which can be a great trust building method between your brand and your community. Having a solid video marketing strategy and consistently posting engaging videos on Facebook will increase your reach and engagement as well.