People often ask why content doesn’t perform as well on one social media site as it did on another. The general thought is that if something is successful on one site, it will be successful on the others. Unfortunately — and fortunately — that isn’t generally true with different social media networks: each one is made for unique content and a specific type of message. Unfortunately, creating all of those different messages can be a tad overwhelming. Fortunately, you can take the information from this breakdown, change up your content and create a space on each individual site where your company’s network can thrive. In today’s post, we will break down one of the biggest social media networks around: Facebook.
Everyone knows what Facebook is. Although it was once dominated by a younger generation, it now reaches a wide variety of clients. With over two billions users, it gives you the opportunity to do some serious marketing. The trick is to figure out what really works! The content currently getting the best results on Facebook can be summed up in one word: PURPOSEFUL. It’s the place to share lengthier informational posts that are well thought out and relational. Here are some great examples of purposeful content you can try out on your Facebook page:
1. Engagement Posts:
To keep your Facebook page healthy, it is very important to get a lot of engagement. What is engagement? It is the interaction on your posts from your followers — likes, comments and shares. Depending on what types of content you share, there are many unique ways you can engage your audience. Here are some big-picture ideas to get you started!
Questions:
When you’re having trouble creating content, try to think about how you would start a new conversation with a friend. What is the easiest way to do that? Ask them a question! It can be business related or not business related, but do try to keep it relevant! For example, if you run a marketing company, you might ask your followers about their opinions on the latest marketing trends by sharing an article from a trustworthy news source and adding the question to the caption. On matters not relating to business, you can try asking questions about community events or pop culture/current events! Just remember, you want engagement — not drama! Stay safe with trending topics like sports, weather or upcoming events in your community like concerts and festivals.
Motivational:
When used the right way, a motivational post can be great for engagement! A B2B marketer, like an insurance company, may use a more business-centric motivational quote related to excellence in their field or leadership in their industry. A B2C marketer, like a yoga teacher, may post something that relates to personal growth. Whatever your target audience is, it can’t hurt to inspire them a little!
Humor:
Earlier in this post, we related social media posts to talking to a friend, and this subject is no different. Just like your co-workers appreciate a great joke, your followers on Facebook may also get a chuckle from it. Use the same guidelines you would when telling a joke at work: always be appropriate, no personal opinions, no delicate or tricky subjects, and never tell a joke at the expense of someone else.
2. Employee Appreciation
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
This type of post is great for engagement and for building up your employees! Nothing says “thank you for being awesome” like a post about your extraordinary employees that their friends and family can see! This is great for likes, shares and comments! It’s super easy too; just get a picture of your chosen spotlight employee, write a quick bio to brag on them and post away!
3. Videos
Your followers are spending an average of 35 minutes a day on their Facebook feed. How do you grab their attention? Show them something fun and exciting! You can get really creative with your videos; just make sure you do them well. It is important to remember two things here: your followers will not waste valuable seconds out of their average of 35 minutes to watch a badly produced video. And, it is said 85 percent of users watch videos with the sound off. Focus on the production value of the video, especially on the visuals, and you will get plenty of views!
Go give these new ideas a shot! Consider it an experiment — one you want to keep well controlled — and see what works best for your community! Each group of followers is unique, so each and every new post will show you a little bit more about what they enjoy the most.
Stay tuned for the second piece of our of our four-part social media breakdown! Up next, we’ll discuss how to get the most out of another huge social media platform, Instagram.
