Before we look at the types of content that work best with regard to the new changes, there are a few things to consider:
Paid advertising (Facebook ads)
The most successful brands on Facebook combine organic messaging with paid posts. Simply put: if you pay Facebook, you get rewarded. This applies more than ever. Furthermore, you can target ads based on your users' interests.
Facebook Insights (Page Analytics)
Facebook Insights tells you how different messages are being received on your fan page and also who the people on your fan page are, for example: age, gender, and location.
There you can also find out when your fans are online. This is crucial for developing a content plan.
Understand the context
Facebook is a place where you go to socialize with others and see what your friends are doing. It's not a place where you intend to buy things.
In some cases, especially for e-commerce companies, it is indeed possible to sell the product on Facebook. But for most companies, the goal of Facebook is to set things up more or less like this: "When my potential customer is ready to buy, my brand should be the first one that comes to mind." This is achieved by being relevant, fun, and useful, not by trying to sell (push) your product.
Let's now look at some ideas for content aimed at engagement:
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Links to quality content
Probably the biggest change to the news feed is that it's now showing more links than before. If all you do on your fan page is post photos, STOP NOW! Reduce the number of photos and share more links.
Make sure to copy the URL Choose the content you want to share and include in your post. Facebook will automatically retrieve the meta data (photo, summary text) and display it on your fan page. Prioritize high-quality content to increase reach, thanks to algorithm changes.
Do not create a status update and link to the content, like the example below.
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Tag other fan pages
Now you can reach new audiences when you tag another page. In the example below, I tagged The Federalist fan page and the Iska Digital blog. This post will now appear in our news feed and also for the fans of the tagged fan pages. Post link + tagging another page = SUCCESS!
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Start a discussion
Facebook essentially rewards comments on likes and shares. One way to increase reach is to encourage discussion.
Typing a comment requires more effort than liking something. If I comment on your post, my friends are likely to see your post in their news feed.
Facebook wants brands/companies to gain more friends from fans. This makes the user experience better for everyone.
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Current Events and Pop Culture
Nobody does it better than Oreo. Yes, the cookie. How does a cookie manage to boost its Facebook stock in 2014? The answer is, by leveraging current events and pop culture.
The Oreo campaign titled “"The Twist Daily"” It featured a daily roundup of current news, and the result was this unchecked growth!
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Target today (and always): Emotions
According to Jonah Berger, author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, We like to share emotional content. Humor, anger, and powerful content are good for evoking emotions. BuzzFeed e Upworthy There are good examples of highly exciting emotional content.
In this example, Upworthy The news that all 50 US states now have fines for animal cruelty sparked a wave of happiness among people, and the message generated discussion – see the comments.
Meanwhile, the fan page Flor d Lis is achieving good results by sharing a humorous post. Be careful when using memes, as Facebook is penalizing meme content that contains offensive comments.
Mix humorous content with quality links and you'll be fine.
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Ask your fans.
Asking questions to your fans has long been a way to not only significantly increase engagement through comments, but also help you understand them better.
In the example below, again from Flor d Lis, you can gain valuable customer insight into which product will sell best. They can then use this information to identify preferences and take action in physical stores.
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Photos with captions
And preferably in large fonts and at the top! See the example below from the Brazilian Forest Institute's fan page:
Communication is clear and objective, without noise, and the result is achieved. Bullseye!
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"How to" content“
This type of content works because you're offering practical value. Determining the value of something is another key factor in why we share things. Videos work very well for this type of content.
[infobox]TIP: To encourage comments, tell fans that you will answer any questions they have.[/infobox]
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Product photos
Remember, people don't want to feel like you're just trying to sell something on Facebook. Product photos are "okay," and that's it.
Make sure they are clear and objective, and if possible visually appealing, so that they are something your fans would want to own. Products like clothing, cars, and jewelry seem to perform better than other, less glamorous products.
I like the product example below because they are simply pieces of clothing and they manage to create a crazy urge to buy in women. Of course, before the company reached this point, many photos were published without any effects.
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Conclusion
Complaining about Facebook's reach decreasing won't help if you keep doing the same things. Changes are coming and will always come. We're the ones who have to adapt.
I'll give you two options: Abandon ship or evolve and become better than all your competitors.
I read this post on the Canvas website, and paraphrasing what they concluded during their research for this post, most brands on Facebook are doing a poor job.
And this is a great opportunity for you to stand out from the crowd! Take advantage of it!
