Facebook: Creating an engaged online community
Facebook Algorithm
In 2018 Facebook changed its algorithm to de-prioritise content from company pages.
In light of these changes, when using Facebook for your business you should consider…
Asking your audience to opt-in to seeing your posts
Creating more video content (it has a higher chance of being seen)
Focusing on content that creates a conversation
Facebook is no longer a free platform - it favours paid posts.
Using Facebook for your business
Before you begin spending dedicated time each week on your Facebook page for your business, you should ask yourself the following questions.
Does our market spend time on Facebook? If it doesn’t, it is worth the time, cost and resource?
Do we have the time and resources to use Facebook effectively? If you’re going to use Facebook for business, you need to ensure you dedicate time to do so and if you can’t find someone who can.
Are we prepared to allocate budget to running ads? As mentioned above, Facebook is no longer a free platform with paid content prioritised, are you able to allocate budget?
Do we know how to measure the business impact of using Facebook? if you aren’t using tools such as Google Analytics to measure your website’s performance, you really should be.
Are we prepared to handle complaints and negative comments? Not everyone is going to love what you post, you can’t please them all. As a business, you need to be prepared to handle and respond to these comments in a professional manner.
Your Business Page
Are you making the most out of your business page?
Do you have the correct page template set?
Facebook prioritises information based on your business or industry.
Use the right call to actions that align with your strategic goals:
‘Contact Us’
‘Learn More’
‘Shop Now’
Appointment scheduler / Messenger
Link to a closed group
Creating a Community
“No one wants to follow a brand that is only trying to sell them something. We share personal stories, family recipes, and behind the scenes imagery of our lives at the bakery. These glimpses into the ‘life of a biscuiteer’ are free!”
Creating an engaged community
To help grow your audience and drive sales you need to create an engaged community, when using Facebook for business, consider the following:
Don’t have sales or traffic tied to each post
Be human
Create meaningful conversation
Build trust
Consider Facebook Groups - offer something unique
…and remember it doesn’t happen overnight.
Engaging with your audience
When engaging with your audience on Facebook, we’ve collated some tips and ideas for you to consider when creating your content.
Use imagery and video across your page
Video performs better than all Facebook post types
According to Facebook, 79% of consumers would rather learn about a product from a video than reading text.
Focus on content that creates a conversation - Facebook favours content that generates comments and interaction.
Inspirational, funny or practical content = higher engagement
Leverage your reviews and recommendations - a potential customer is more likely to buy upon reading a positive review or recommendation than from your own sales pitch.
Engage and interact with others - using Facebook is not a one way street, you need to engage with others - post comments, share other posts, interact with users engaging with your page.
Video
Everyone is talking about video, it has seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years, especially with the introduction of Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live and IGTV. If you’re stuck on how you can incorporate video into your content on social media, here are some ideas:
Host a Q&A
Interview
Live stream an event
How to’s
Announce a new product or service
Give a tour
Offer live content to group members
Answer blog comments
Special guest
Behind the scenes
Run a competition
How are you planning on using Facebook for your business this year? Or are you not at all? We’d love to know, just comment below or if you want further advice drop us an email.