Getting your audience to interact will take more than standard Facebook posts, but luckily there are some tools that can help you.
Use the power of live video
Bring your audience into your world by using live video sharing. Entertaining and interesting events can be shared in real-time, making your followers feel as though they are really part of the actions. Ask viewers to provide likes, reactions, and live comments throughout your video as a response to happenings or events to encourage even more engagement. Live video by its instant nature can entice people to join and view, as it’s only there for a few minutes while you are streaming the fear of missing out can be enough to compel viewers to click and join.
Ask a question
Get your audience to participate by asking for a response. Pose a question then ask followers to like or share if they agree. This will provide you with feedback on whatever you are asking and also has the potential to push your post to a broader audience. Using likes and shares as a response is a fast and easy way for your followers to provide an answer, rather than having to type out there response they can quickly click a button and register their decision.
Take a poll
Get your audience to register their opinion by using opinion polls. This is a great way to ask a question and record more than yes or no answers. Additional responses can be added that gauge the success or popularity of whatever you are asking. Responses like ‘not sure’ or ‘undecided’ can help you uncover areas of your business that your audience may not fully understand, providing you with a chance to fill the gaps and generate a better understanding of your business or service.
Request gifs as an answer
Being entertaining can be as valuable as posting educational content. Sharing posts that bring a bit of humor or make people laugh often has the potential to go viral – hence the success of memes. One way to keep things light is to ask a question and request only gifs as a response. Gifs are those 1 or 2-second animated photos that can be used to convey a feeling or an emotion. Like clicking like or share, this is a fast easy way to drive engagement from your followers.
Share industry news and updates
Foreward popular news or the latest industry updates as an interesting way to fill your newsfeed. Attract likes and comments by adding your own quote, or opinion, or simply by asking your audience, ‘What do you think of this?’ This can work especially well with any news that’s a bit controversial or polarizing. Strong feelings and emotions can spur followers into adding their own comments to your post.
Start a Facebook group
Starting your own group can be useful for creating conversations, answering questions, and sharing knowledge. Users may be more inclined to ask a question in a private group than there are on a public page, giving you a chance to respond to their inquiries personally. It can also create opportunities for you to showcase and promote your products and services, and as anyone joining your group most likely already has some interest in your business, it can be easier to convert these followers to customers.
Hold a competition
Most people like to think that they are in with a chance of winning something. Use competitions to drive engagement from followers and generate more awareness of your business. Prizes don’t have to be huge but there are some competition rules that you will need to follow. Make sure your entry requirements are clear and that you post details about the winner or winners at a pre-arranged date.
Host giveaways
The best things in life are free, as the song says, and it’s not wrong. People love free stuff and your audience and followers will appreciate the chance to get their hands on free merchandise or promotional items. Post giveaways with a reasonable amount of frequency so people know that there is a chance of getting items every month or 6 weeks. More interest can be driven by requesting your audience to share your post with their own followers as a condition of entry. This can push your giveaway to a larger audience and help you gain a ton more engagement as people queue up for a chance to win freebies.
Go Pro
Not the camera! But consider using professional social media management services to create attractive and binge-worthy content. While this will cost you a bit of money the reality is that a professional company knows what works and will have tools to measure engagement among your audience then create content that resonates with them. Images and branding can look better and it can elevate the appearance of your brand across your social channels. Analytics can help you to drill down on demographic groups or identify interests across your audience that you can use to your advantage.
Final Words
Driving engagement will not happen automatically, along with having really great content there are variables like what time of day is best to post or what days your ideal audience is most likely to be online. Varying the type of content you use can keep things interesting and generate better engagement levels. Responses, likes, and shares will need to be monitored and analyzed to help you build a social media posting strategy that is effective at driving audience participation.