You use Facebook all the time to promote your business – yet you’re still not seeing the engagement you want, and that means you might not realize all the existing opportunities in how to create a post that gets the most likes, shares, and comments.
Facebook describes its methodology as, “show[ing] the right content to the right people at the right time so they don’t miss the stories that are important to them.”
So, what’s important to your community?
The best tactics for appearing prominently in the News Feed are quite straightforward: share things that are interesting, authentic, and resonate with them. That typically means visually compelling media, funny or emotional content, and important news.
Here are some examples:
Always share a native video or photo with your post
When creating a post, upload an eye-catching image or video with it. Facebook prioritizes this type of content because the algorithm identifies this as a photo post, not a link post, and assumes the user will continue engaging ON Facebook, versus engaging with a link that takes the user OFF Facebook. You will notice the difference in the layouts pictured below.
Like this:
Not like this:
Post a (quality) Facebook live video
Different from video posts, Facebook Live is in real-time, and according to Facebook, users spend three times longer watching Live videos than non-Live videos, meaning they’re more likely to appear higher in the News Feed and generate more engagement. A best practice for this type of content is to do test runs prior to your live stream to ensure the sound and image quality is there.
We can all take notes from NASA’s live video of the Solar Eclipse in August:
Like and reply to comments in a timely fashion
There’s nothing more valuable than likes and comments on your Facebook posts. It’s a best practice to respond to each comment, if possible, and if it makes sense, for more engagement. Facebook’s algorithm will recognize the increased engagement, rank the post higher, and consequently, more people will see your post.
Notice how Coca-Cola responds to almost every comment and adds value at the same time. Your audience will see this and will be more inclined to engage with your brand.
Remember, it does take time and effort to build up your audience, but through genuine and consistent messaging, it will get easier!