July 23rd, 2010Comments (0)

3 Easy Ways to Engage Audiences on Facebook by admin

These days, it seems like everyone and their mother has a Facebook page. (Side note: My mother literally has a Facebook page through which she enjoys sending me virtual soup when I’m sick. But I digress.) Thousands of brands have created their own hub on the social networking site, hoping to increase visibility and strengthen their social media reputation. But what many forget is that just creating the page itself isn’t enough. Maintaining a vibrant and interactive environment on your brand’s Facebook page is a full-time job that requires thought and ingenuity. Below are three ways to get you started.

1) Encourage discussion. You should make sure that there’s an open-ended component to the content you are posting. For instance, if you’re posting an interesting video, ask your fans to respond to it, or even post their own video responses. And be ready for real feedback—both good and bad. When your fans feel like they’re being heard, they’re more likely to speak up. Moreover, they may have suggestions or ideas on how to further improve your page or even your brand and products—and if you listen to them by making real changes, they’ll keep coming back for more.

2) Only post things that you’d want to see/read/hear. Though your initial instinct may be to post as much content as possible to your Facebook page, ask yourself—“Is this something that I would want to look at? Would it make me stop and pay attention?” If your content isn’t intriguing, it’s just wasting space—and alienating your audience, who’ll become more and more skeptical of your motives. Make sure your content is newsworthy, engaging, stimulating or just plain entertaining. If it isn’t, toss it.

3) Keep your content current. If your brand is coming out with a new product or announcement, don’t wait three days to post the information. Keep your audience abreast of any new developments (good or bad) as they happen. Similarly, if your company is being mentioned in the news, or your industry is getting national attention, make your page the destination for your audience to discuss the topic by starting a conversation in real-time. Your Facebook page can act as another channel through which you promote your own products and media coverage, but it should also act as an informative and dynamic setting where your audience can interact with each other and your brand.

Essentially, it’s important not to think of your Facebook page as a stand-alone entity. Integrate it with your other social media channels and with your brand’s messaging and platforms. Most importantly, pay attention to your fans by listening to them and rewarding them when they interact with you. They’ll become loyal brand activists as a result.

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