Setting up a Facebook fan page is easy, but building followers and engaging with them is a different story. Want to know how to have them flipping over your product and services? See how these 10 types of Facebook content can drive engagement.
While your online marketing skills, English proficiency—correct grammar, punctuations, and spelling—and literary wit are logically requisites in creating actionable and interesting posts, the ‘recipe’ to drive engagement with compelling content include the following:
- Must have CTA (call-to-action)
- Apply copywriting techniques
- Rich, yet optimized photos and designs
- Realistically social and relational (e.g. daily experiences, quotes, etc.)
- Triggers any of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (e.g. food, shelter, etc.)
- Posted at the right time and day
With your creativity and copywriting prowess, combining the two with your rockstar social media-marketing plan, the post will be likable, clickable, and shareable to them.
Chasing after numbers? Engagement is the key!
Let’s face it! It’s quite tempting to see the numbers of likes and shares. But we can’t overlook engagement for a sustainable growth of followers and customers. Yes, the metrics on the dashboard are helpful, but in order to achieve our goals, it involves hard work, too—replying to comments and queries, posting content that triggers emotions, sincerely listening to what they say about your brand and use the feedback and reviews for product developments and improve customer service.
Engagement with fans means you have to be as human as possible. Ditch the auto-response and generic replies. Be social and participate on a daily basis. Always post content that your followers can resonate with and make them feel you really understand and listen to the needs.
Here are the ten types of content that you can use to your posts:
1. The Intentional ‘LIKE’
Hungry? When you visit the fan page of Sam’s Chowder House you’ll satiate your hunger with the page’s gastronomical content.
They engage with fans and soon-to-be customers, prompting them to comment and visit the restaurant. The words “Click LIKE” or “LIKE” are quite finicky for a Facebook post and imply a command to do to something.
Yes, it’s an intentional LIKE for a call-to-action.
But you have to know how your customers think before putting this word on page. You can create A/B testing on how you’d execute it on your post. Take a look on how Sam’s trigger the gastronomical desires using rich and colorful image of a dish and directly targets the possible visitors who can drop by with “Seeing orange & black? LIKE if you can taste…”
2. The Rich Photos or Video Content
Travel, food, fashion, beauty, art brands have an edge when it comes to this type of Facebook content. With rich photos and short video clips, they can drive engagement effortlessly with fewer texts or sometimes no texts at all.
Here’s Lonely Planet’s “In the Wild 10” post.
Followers get attracted to something beautiful, breathtaking or captivating; this type of content, if properly edited and optimized, will compel them to engage with the post, whether it’s one word or paragraph to merely express how they feel toward the photos. Interestingly, the album doesn’t have a caption; the photos speak thousands of words already!
3. The ‘Caption This’ Status
This type of content is 90% visual and 10% text, which is simple and fun. How engaging is it? This type allows your followers to grasp your post and create their own interpretation of the photo. It gives them the freedom to express ideas and become part of your brand in that sense; this will flood your post with replies and comments.
You can use funny images such as GIFs or short video clips and try to imagine what you would like to trigger within an individual. You may also review Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as your reference.
4. The Optimized Visuals
Work your way to visuals with optimized designs and copywriting techniques to trigger your followers’ emotional, physical, or even financial needs. Want to know the magic word? FREE. Try conducting A/B testing on your visuals to see which of them has the higher engagement rate; this type of content is direct and informational.
Check out Target’s “Shop Till’ You Drop” post with an optimized banner of ‘Free Shipping! ‘It’s eye-catching and appealing, too.
5. The Quick Question Approach
One of the simplest yet engaging content we’ve scouted on Facebook comes from popular brands Sephora’s #OneQuickQuestion hashtag.
Aside from its creative and witty approach, the question is also timely for the holiday season.
And you know what women love: shopping!
With the post having hundreds of comments, what drives engagement is that Sephora participates in the discussion and creates custom replies to customers’ questions. Got an idea? Make it short, simple, and listen to what your fans say. Be human.
6. The ‘Fill in the blank’
There are creative ways to engage followers using this type of content.
You can use phrases such as “If ____, I would ____,” When I’m ____, I ____” or directly say, “Fill in the blank.”
This approach invites followers to think proactively and respond to your post. Here’s how Amazon nailed its fill in the blank campaign with a promo.
It will also provide you insights on what makes them tick—what they love, hate, or what excites them—to help you serve them better. This is fun and interactive, which may result to virality if properly executed in the right season and time.
7. The Evergreen Content
Another key to drive engagement with followers is posting evergreen content that’s thought provoking, helpful, and educational. In a nutshell, post valuable content that can go viral, whether it’s a blog post with catch numbering title, “Top 20 things you can do…” quick tips, why or how-to posts. Quotes are also timeless and they are the type that followers can easily resonate with especially if it’s inspirational.
Take a look at what Brain Pickings offer.
However, if you have a dynamic community with different cultural and religious background, be sensitive on the statements and images used. And never ever discuss politics.
8. The Humorous Pun
Humor is congruent to engagement. If you know how to break the ice and goof around for ‘punny’ posts, including photos and texts, you’ll definitely win your followers’ hearts.
This post from Grammarly made our day.
Imagine the alternative universe when a group of cheese takes a picture and they say, “People!” Laughter is the medicine.
So, have a good one! Don’t be too serious.
9. The Nostalgic Question
In this type of content, you must understand what your followers are thinking in order to create nostalgic questions that will prompt them to respond and remember the old times, whether it’s a product, service, project or event. Nostalgia is an effective way to start conversation.
So, be social and ask the right question. Talk and be human. Lowe’s Home Improvement shows us how to use nostalgic questions that engage followers.
10. The Promotional Discounts and Freebies
It’s holiday and it’s the season to be jolly for shoppers while brands compete with each other with retail and wholesale in markdown discounts and freebies. Of course, everyone loves promos and discounts. Check out Walmart’s post-Halloween sale up to 90% to prep followers for next year’s party.
The post consists of visual and text that highlights the 90% discount. With visuals, you can create A/B testing on designs and optimize them to highlight the text or message.
Conclusion: Driving Engagement is the ultimate goal
You can combine these types of content on your campaigns to see how it’ll work for short-term and long-term plans.
Some of the given examples have either two or three types of content combined, like Lowe’s Home Improvement post that features a nostalgic question with a tutorial how-to video.
Remember that the ultimate goal in driving engagement is not just to get higher conversion, but also use this activity to listen and communicate to your followers for better product and service experience.
Now it’s your turn.
Do you have other types of content in mind that you would like to share?
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