One of the most common questions we’re asked is how can business owners increase engagement on Facebook.

Here’s a common scenario: they’ve been running a Facebook page for 12 months., and in that time they’ve built a following of 2000 fans. But despite
posting new content semi-regularly, they’re just not getting the interaction they’d like. Every post gets one or two likes, but nothing else. What can they do?

Here are 5 tips we always end up sharing.

1. Get your timing right

Timing is everything. Whether you publish your content in the morning or in the evening can have a profound difference on the level of interaction your post is going to get.

The most important thing to consider when deciding when to post your content is the audience you’re trying to attract. For example, if you’re wanting to target corporate professionals, posting at 7am might be a good idea. That’s when they’re likely to be on the train, or eating their breakfast, and skimming through Facebook. Posting just 2 hours later at 9am might be a bad idea, as they’re likely to be at work, and having just started the day, unlikely to be on Facebook.

Facebook’s Insights actually gives you a graph of when your fans and followers are on Facebook. This information includes the best times to post if you want your post exposed to the highest number of people.

2. Make your content visually appealing

Posting a couple of paragraphs of text with no links or images to your page is a big mistake, because no one is going to see it or read it. Our attention spans are getting smaller, and our access to technology is getting better. So if someone’s on their break at work, or having a 5 minute rest at home, they’re might be scrolling through their Facebook feed, looking for something to interest them.

If that’s the case, they’re likely to just scroll right past your post, because there’s nothing there to catch their eye. Including an image with the post is a must. Facebook recently revealed that posts with photos receive 53 percent more likes, and 84 percent more clicks than standard posts.

3. Host competitions

Everyone likes free stuff, and people are willing to do surprising things if there’s a chance they can win something. Hosting a competition on Facebook is a great way to get your fans out of the woodwork, and actively engaging with you.

Start by thinking about the prize. It needs to be something people might actually want. Then think about what they have to do to be in the draw. This might include sharing a post, or uploading an image of them doing something.

This is good, because these interactions are seen by all their friends too, giving your page even more exposure.

4. Boost a few posts

These days organic engagement is only around 14 percent. That means for every 100 followers you have, it’s likely only 14 will see each post. One way to make more people see it is by boosting your post, which means using Facebook’s advertising platform to force your post onto the newsfeeds of your fans.

If you’ve got an important announcement, or a great deal promotion that you think people night be interested in, definitely boost your post.

5. Provide content that’s worthy of engagement

Sourcing content for Facebook can be easy. It’s not hard to put up a few words with a photo, but if you’re not putting much thought or effort into the process, it’s unlikely you’re going to be getting much engagement back.

Instead, think about who you’re trying to attract engagement from, and then consider what kind of information they’re going to want to interact with. Posting pictures of fluffy cats and YouTube videos of Fails is not going to build you an audience that you can continue to market to.

Think about what makes your brand or product range unique, and then figure out how to merge that with content that your ideal audience is going to want to interact with.