Every time you log in to Facebook, there are between 300 and 600 posts that your friends and pages have prepared for you to see.
On average, Facebook shows you 12 of them.
How do they decide what to show you?
Every time you scroll quickly through your newsfeed without stopping, you’re telling Facebook “I don’t like these types of posts. Show me fewer of them.”
Every time you linger on a post. Like it. Comment on it. Click through on it, you’re telling Facebook “I like this type of post. Show me more of these.”
And Facebook gives you more of what you’ve shown them you like.
Now, when using Facebook to promote your own business, your job is to create the type of posts that your fans linger over, and like, and comment on and share. In April, Facebook told us 8 ways to do that.
#1 – Compelling Headlines
Writing compelling headlines is an art and a science all unto itself. And just like with an advertisement, a compelling Facebook headline will draw people in to your post or leave them flat. Start taking note of which headlines draw you in and why. Keep a file of headlines you find compelling and use them as inspiration when writing your own. Watch the masters at headline writing and model them. Sites like BuzzFeed, Mashable and PopSugar.
Make sure your post delivers on your headline. If readers are drawn to click on your post due to the compelling headline, and yet quickly click away when they reach your post and find it doesn’t deliver on your headline (called a “spring back”) Facebook will DING you and if it becomes a pattern will give your posts less visibility.
#2 – Emotional Words
Emotional words are very compelling. Use them in your headlines. In your body copy. Hint: Use “Happy Birthday” rather than “Happy Anniversary” for you business milestones. Happy Birthday is a more engaging phrase than Happy Anniversary.
#3 – Live Video
You start streaming live video on Facebook and you’ll shoot to the top of your fan’s feeds immediately! Right now, live video is hot! Do it now cause once everyone figures this out, the fever will subside.
#4 – Not Everyone Likes Video
Even though video is hot (live and recorded) not everyone likes it. So use different types of post content. Images, text, links, and different types and lengths of video. Track your results and discover what types of content your audience likes. Don’t guess at it. Open up your analytics and find out the facts.
#5 – Repurpose Content
You don’t have to create brand new content over and over again. Take a topic popular with your audience and craft it as an image post, tweak the text and do a live stream video about it. Then take that same topic and turn it into a blog post and use it as a link on your Facebook page.
#6 – Post Regularly
To Facebook, recency is an important marker of relevancy. Not the only marker, but a key one. You’ve got to post regularly to be recent.
#7 – Try Audience Optimization
Audience optimization is a tool built into Facebook which allows you to potentially get higher engagement from the people who already like your page. Target a post to specific demographics of your fan base, and you are more likely to get a higher engagement rate because those folks have already told you they like this particular topic.
#8 – “See First” Function
Teach your fans about the “See First” function.
Take a screen shot of your page with the “See First” function highlighted like below and ask your fans to add you to their “See First” list.
Ready for More?
Join me on Friday June 10 for my FREE WEBINAR: Grow Your Business Using Facebook .
We’ll dive more deeply into these 8 strategies, learn the 4 things you should never do on Facebook and discuss the 4 key metrics you should be tracking on your Facebook page so you can do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.