6 Tips to Rock Social Engagement on Facebook

Whether you’re brand new to Facebook or an old pro, you’ve probably heard by now that engagement is key to your success on the popular social network. Are you operating a brand site that engages?

Engagement is what helps brands reach success through social networking, but the word “engagement” is often lost on newcomers who don’t quite understand everything it entails. Engagement is not how many “likes” you’ve racked up. It’s a genuine interaction with your community on Facebook — it’s real and personal.

What’s the ROI on Engagement?

  • Your ads reach a wider audience
  • It’s the only way to achieve viral reach
  • The more engagement you have, the more newsfeeds feature your updates
  • Builds and fosters trust between fans and brands
  • Engaging brands get more people to opt-in and ultimately through the sales funnel
  • More engagement = reduced advertising costs across the board
  • Does wonders for your clickthrough rate!
  • Reduces the amount of negative feedback

Statistics confirm these six techniques will help you rock Facebook engagement:

1: High-Quality, Varied Content — Especially Visuals

Sticking with only high-quality content is a must, but you also have to get dynamic and interesting here. Don’t simply go with text-based posts on your wall — include some video clips, entertaining photos, cool apps. Browse Facebook and see what big brands are doing. Use every Facebook feature allotted to you in order to boost engagement. Just make sure what you plan to do aligns with your brand image.

Just got through with a company picnic? Okay; it’s picture time! Facebook and other social networking sites thrive off of visuals. That’s not to say that text isn’t a very powerful weapon; it’s just the realization that pictures say a lot more and can increase engagement. Once a user becomes a fan/follower, you have to give them a reason to keep coming back. Remember the “social” in “social networking”? Post pictures and show a visual, even personal side to your brand.

2: Respond, Respond, Respond!

Brands make a big splash every time they respond directly to a fan on Twitter or Facebook. Even if you’re busy, you have to remember that it’s a big deal to a fan when you take the time to respond to someone’s question or complaint. Engagement in social media doesn’t work one way only; it’s a two-way street. It’s a busy highway that you should be driving on. Take a page from sites like Diamond Candle, who interact with their vibrant community and fans on Facebook.

3: Find Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd

What are you offering that’s setting you apart from the competition? If you can’t think of anything, then perhaps you should seriously consider doing something that makes you stand out as exclusive. Offer something for your followers that the basic passerby doesn’t have access to. This will give people cause to engage. They’ll want to see what’s on the other side of that deal.

4: Be Descriptive about Your Brand – Make It Simple To Connect!

If you’ve been posting great content, offering exclusives and responding to people when they do engage, then you’re bound to have quite a few people trying to contact you directly to find out more about your business. Make this simple for people by giving them detailed contact info and extra info about your brand. Take the opportunity with the new Timeline (to be released shortly) update to catalog important information on the right-hand side of the screen.

Getting people to engage with you can be as simple as focusing on quality, but it’s engagement that leads to more conversions and a higher ROI that matters the most. So remember to stay focused on your long-term goals here.

5: Discounts and Giveaways — Easier Than Ever to Do — and Do Well!

Engaging on Facebook is actually relatively easy once you open up the site’s tool chest. For instance, there’s an endless array of apps you can create with a little bit of time and effort, and there are countless ways to hold different contests. Holding giveaways, offering discounts for opt-ins, carrying out monthly contests to find the best fan to reward – there’s a lot you can do for your engagement without having to do much at all.

6: Facebook for the Future: Strategize for the Road Ahead

The new features coming down the pike for Facebook, like the updated Timeline, Open Graph, and other features in the works can all help you develop a very engaging brand page. You should be focused on creating an inviting, intriguing and entertaining atmosphere. You want people to ultimately spend time on your page, seeking out different elements to engage with. Facebook has the pieces in place to make this happen.

You don’t have to be a social media expert to increase your engagement. You just have to focus on quality while providing people with what they want. Luckily for you, people on Facebook mostly just want to be social. They want to be entertained. If you can do this while still managing to meet consumer-based needs, then your brand can shine.

Craig Robinson is an online writer for Qwaya , a Facebook ad campaign tool. He loves to write about social media tips and strategies.

Photo: CantoV on Deviant Art

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