4 Super Basic Ways to Increase Engagement on Facebook

Facebook continues to be a conundrum for a lot of brands, whether or not they’re small businesses. It seems like more and more has been written about Facebook engagement lately – which I didn’t think was possible! – and a few themes have emerged. I have boiled them down to 4 most essential, most basic, and (thankfully!) easiest ways to increase engagement on Facebook.

Here’s what to do:

1. Focus on your current customers

Stop trying to use Facebook to develop relationships with prospects. It’s not a business development platform. It’s a relationship-building platform. Focus on delighting and conversing with your current customers. Don’t forget that when they engage with you, their networks will see it!

2. Use images

Every single status update should include an image – even Facebook says so! During a HubSpot webinar I listened to recently, Jed Clevenger, Global Head of Channel Marketing, SMB at Facebook, said, “Use images, but make sure they relate to you, your audience, and your posts.” If you don’t know exactly what your customers will connect with, that’s OK. As webinar host Dan Zarrella said, “Always. Be. Experimenting.”

3. Share stories

People love stories! Because we can relate to them, we create an emotional connection with them. We react to them. We want to talk about them and share them. Share your stories, of course, but really focus on sharing your customers’ stories. As you do, you’ll form deeper relationships and start getting more likes, comments, and maybe even shares.

4. Ask questions

Just as we love stories, we love to talk about ourselves and share our experiences – it’s human nature! Ask for your customers’ opinion about something, be it a trend, holiday, event, product, service, or something totally unrelated to your brand, like their favorite place to go on vacation once summer hits.

What other tried-and-true methods do you use to keep your Facebook fans engaged?

Image courtesy of hackcollege.com