What’s going on on Facebook, and why aren’t posts sorted chronologically anymore? For quite some time now, Facebook has not been making it so easy for brands and has started to sort the news and publications with a new algorithm called Story Bump. It is the one that is responsible for publishing at the top of our timeline, those news that, although older, are published by sources with whom we regularly interact, based on the number of likes and comments received.
The final objective is to hit the type of content that interests each person, and in this way, not saturate them with something that does not interest them.
According to Facebook data, this new algorithm has increased interaction with user posts by 5% and interaction with content originating from Facebook pages by 8% .
If the posts that a brand shows are not interesting, they disappear instantly. So… how can we engage our users and make those posts work?
Get the user’s attention
Put yourself in the user’s shoes. If you followed a brand, what would you like it to offer you? Think about giving quality content.
Variety of formats
If everything we publish has the same format, our fans will start to get tired, and they will pass these updates without interacting with them. Use images, links, videos, drawings, infographics , etc. Once you choose why publish a post in one format or another, follow up to see which one has worked best to target your posts.
Make Evergreen content
Do not base your content solely on current affairs , once that trend or fashion has passed, your content will be lost over time and will no longer be interesting to the user.
Creating content that lasts over time or “evergreen” will allow you, even if months have passed, if that post has been relevant on your wall, it will continue to appear to your users on its timeline on a recurring basis.
Use emoticons
Gone are the flat messages. Focus on phrases and expressions with emoticons to show that joy behind a post, and show your personality.
Be funny
Giving a fun touch helps connect with the user. The brands that make you smile are more accessible, and it is easier for the user to interact with them because they see them closer, flesh and blood. It is a type of content that is shared easily and quickly.
Show who is behind that brand or that company
Who is behind a brand? We are not machines and we have to prove it, so it is essential that you know who is behind all that work. There is nothing better than humanizing your Facebook page with photos of all those people who make up your team.
Be proactive and respond to the comments
95% of brands on Facebook leave this point very neglected. Facebook, like Twitter, is a perfect channel for customer service. By responding to comments and questions quickly, users will see your commitment to them. It doesn’t cost you more than a minute and it helps you a lot, because it is a very easy way to increase participation and create lasting relationships with your fans.
Analyze the times when you update your Facebook page
Whenever you upload an update, look at the impact it has. Observe its impact, the volume of comments and shares, to know what time is the best time to publish. Then you just have to access Facebook statistics and tinker around to see which posts have worked best.
The frequency of post matters
The average lifespan of a Facebook post is about 3 hours, so if you have a large and loyal community, you should try to post content more than once in a day.
Take advantage of today
Make yourself an editorial calendar of posts. In this way, you can anticipate those things that are going to happen. The chances of your fans getting involved with the post and sharing it, because it seems relevant or entertaining, will increase by 70%.
Do not sell your product at all hours
It is not about talking about me, me and me, it varies in content and do not make a constant self-promotion, your users will thank you.
Know your audience
Get involved with your audience, and go a little further. Are they men, women? What age? What tastes do they have? The more you know about it, the more effective the content you launch will be.
Bring traffic to your website
There is nothing better than using incentives to take your fans to your blog, subscription to the newsletter or to a contest. In this way, you will also capture them on other channels and diversify your audience.
Pin some posts at the top
There are posts that are perfect to leave them pinned at the top for a few days on your wall. Take advantage of those contents that give your fans an incentive such as ebooks, whitepapers or infographics, to increase the number of downloads, shares and comments and likes.
Use Facebook applications to improve your Facebook page
There are many applications (free and not free) that help you improve the appearance of your Facebook page. Your wall is a showcase to achieve a goal, either to increase the number of fans, increase notoriety, or make the volume of interactions of your users increase. Applications are the perfect complement to help you achieve your goal.
Include a call to action in your updates
Do you just post without knowing the opinion of your fans? Occasionally involve them in the content by throwing questions into the air that can answer you. This type of call to action, will serve to increase participation, lead your readers to register if the call to action is focused on it, increase sales, etc.
Upload videos from Facebook
Video is increasingly becoming an important tool for brands. According to Socialbakers data, updates with videos uploaded directly to Facebook are gaining in interaction.
In the videos that we upload directly to Facebook, we can tag all those people that we want, and also the user does not have to resort to clicking on a link, it is enough to click on the video to see it directly from Facebook.
Update the information on your Facebook page
An incomplete information on your Facebook page can leave a negative impact and result in losing out on potential fans. It gives an impression of unprofessional and sloppiness . Pay attention to it and keep it up to date with all the information so that each of your fans, if they wish, can contact you.
Do not limit yourself to publish only from Monday to Friday
If once you analyze your statistics, you see that your audience accesses your posts on the weekend … What do you do? Do not publish because at that time you are not working? No! Use scheduled Facebook posts to give your fans content on weekends as well, and don’t forget early Mondays, check everything and reply to any comments.
Help yourself with sponsored posts to expand your message
This new Facebook algorithm does not affect sponsored posts or paid content , so if you want to expand your message so that it reaches more people, use this option so that the posts have more impact.
Now you have no excuse to get the most out of your Facebook page. You just have to put a little love, publish with quality and establish basic guidelines to demonstrate who you are and what you want to offer.
And remember: It is not about publishing more and publishing anything, but loyalty and conquer your fans.