After someone Likes your page, chances are high that they’ll never be back. This means that you have to reach them in their News Feeds. Making that connection isn’t as simple as throwing together any old thing and hitting the Post button. Here are 5 things you can do to compete for and win more attention in your Fans’ News Feeds.
- Add a Photo – Posts with a photo get 39% more interaction, 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs. All this math means you should do them 100% of the time. If you don’t have access to photos you can usually find an inexpensive service online to download photos on the cheap. We use ThinkStockPhotos.
- Keep It Brief – Shorter posts get up to 66% more engagement. A post length of about 80-100 characters (12-18 words) is ideal.
- Ask a Question – On average, posts asking a question get 100% more comments than those that don’t. It can be as simple as sharing a photo with a topical news item and asking your fans what they think. You’ll be surprised how many people want to offer up their two cents.
- Offer Up Some Goodies or Coupons – You can attract a lot of fans with a contest – 35% of Facebook Fans have liked a page just to compete in a contest. Keep the contests rolling and you can keep your fans happy. Another easy win is offering a Facebook-exclusive discount or coupon.
- Use Emoticons – This can be hard one for professionals, but tactful use of an emoticon can boost your post views and engagement by 33% or more.
Keep in mind that for your posts to gain traction, they still have to offer good content and you definitely need to be interacting in real time as Fans post comments. Fans want to see that they are being recognized, so comment on great posts or insights from your fans.