Have you ever written a "fantastic" Facebook post and you have only a few likes, shares, or comments to show for it? You start wondering why you have low engagement on Facebook. Are my friends avoiding me? Is this post offensive to some people? Have I been shadow-banned?
Some have even said the Facebook algorithm is not stable. Sometimes it puts you in the spotlight and sometimes it hides you in a dark room and makes you invisible. But, is that true? Could there be something you are not doing? How do you make yourself visible among hundreds of thousands of followers?
This article highlights certain points that will guide you to how to have a good Facebook engagement.
What is Facebook Engagement?
Facebook engagement refers to the action someone takes on your Facebook post. The actions include leaving a reaction on your posts, comments, shares, saving a video, or clicking a link.
Facebook is home to 2.91 billion active users according to a report by statista. The large audience of Facebook indicates it has a high visibility power for any brand. A post with lots of engagements can skyrocket a brand or make an individual go viral. It could even be someone's miracle to achieve something great.
Thus, if you don't despise the internet and the opportunities it gives, you should consider having a good engagement on Facebook.
Why is Facebook Engagement so important?
There are many ways users engage with a Facebook post. However, all engagements are recorded by the Facebook algorithm. The Facebook algorithm determines the order and display of posts. It ensures that users see only the information that is most relevant to them.
Facebook presents posts and adverts based on what it considers to be relevant to you, the user. The algorithm records posts with high engagements as useful and expands their reach. High engagements on a post signal that the post is a topic of interest and beneficial for the growth and popularity of the Facebook community.
Thus, the expansion of such posts gives more visibility to the person that made the post. More visibility means more engagements. This also increases the number of followers of such people.
Also, oftentimes, the Facebook algorithm will show previous posts with high engagements to those that interacted on it. This is often done to increase engagement on a similar recent post written by the same person.
So, Facebook engagement is not only good for the moment, it is also good for future posts. It also builds a brand for you. The more people engage in your post, the more they know you.
There are many ways users engage with a Facebook post. However, all engagements are recorded by the Facebook algorithm. The Facebook algorithm determines the order and display of posts. It ensures that users see only the information that is most relevant to them.
The Latest Guide to Facebook Engagement.
We all need a guide at one point or the other in life, don't we? Even for engaging people on Facebook, it is easier if we have someone who can guide us and show us how to do it.
Truth is, Facebook Engagement is not rocket science, and neither is it atomic physics. It is as simple as communicating with your friend on topics you both find interesting. The question is, how do you communicate in an interesting way to your friend? How do you get people to engage with what you have to say?
Recent statistics have shown that US adults spend an average of 33 minutes on Facebook. It also shows that Facebook stories have about 500 million daily viewers. How do you get a fraction of this number to engage on your post?
How to Increase Facebook Engagement in 2021
1. Write on topics that appeal to your audience
Engagement on Facebook is about what your audience wants. No one wants to engage in a conversation that bores them or leaves them in the dark. People will naturally gravitate toward conversations they can contribute to or can learn from. So, it is important to know your audience and what tickles their fancy before making a post.
2. Use Engagement Prompts
If you want engagements on your posts, you need to create them. You give people something to engage with and watch them interact on your posts for days. One sure way to generate engagements is by asking questions. Not random questions, questions on current events, trends, or a topic that can spark a debate in a comical way or an educative manner.
As much as you are trying to create engagement on your posts, it is important you don't turn your post into a battlefield. Remember, it's the internet and what do they say about the internet?
The internet does not forget. So, ask healthy questions. Ask for people's views on the questions. Engage with their answers in the comment sections. Ask questions about the answers they give. You can even give a contrasting view, just to inspire deep thinking and different opinions from your audience.
3. Be consistent
You can't enjoy good engagement on Facebook if you are always on and off the app. You need to have a strong presence online and this is achieved by posting consistently and doing it at the right time.
You need to know that you don't have sole ownership of the audience. Your audience is other people's audience too. So, you need to post at the right time and probably at intervals.
You can be known for posting at a particular time. If you are not consistent, it won't be long before the Facebook algorithm gives you a low rating on online presence. This will affect the visibility of your post and ultimately your engagement.
Learn when your audience is engaged on Facebook using Page Insights to determine the optimal times to post:
Click Insights at the top of the screen from your Facebook Page.
Click Posts in the left column.
Click when fans are online
The times displayed are in your local time zone. Some of your audience might be in a different time zone. To confirm, go to the left column and click People, then scroll down to see the nations and cities where your admirers and followers live.
You don't need to get up and start posting in their own time zone, you only need to post consistently, so that they can your post always pop up on their page. You can also schedule your posts if you can seem to keep up with the demands of being consistent online.
4. Add a CTA (Call-To-Action) to your Posts
Sometimes, people don't engage because they don't know what to do with the post. You can add a CTA yourself to make it clearer. You can tell them to click on this link to do this. You can direct them to a Facebook group you created, or direct them to your website. You can tell them to save a video, repost and tag you. CTAs are more direct on how you want your users to engage with your content
5. Avoid the engagement trap
Don't be so desperate that you hop about for likes and shares on Facebook. You can honestly seek the opinion of your audience on something and ask them to reply in the comment section. But, when you are all about Facebook asking for likes and shares, you have signaled that your content is not a quality one.
Hence you need to beg people just to have a face. Facebook considers react baiting, comment baiting, share baiting, tag baiting, and vote baiting as a faux pas. Content on such accounts will be penalized and the Facebook algorithm will downrank such posts.
6. Hop on Trends
The Facebook algorithm picks a trending topic and ranks posts made on the trends. Trends can be traced by the use of hashtags or using the trending word in a sentence. Meanwhile, before you hop on trends, make sure you are not violating Facebook community rules of civility in posts and shunning violence.
Engagement on Facebook is about what your audience wants. No one wants to engage in a conversation that bores them or leaves them in the dark. People will naturally gravitate toward conversations they can contribute to or can learn from. So, it is important to know your audience and what tickles their fancy before making a post.
How Facebook Algorithm Ranks Posts for Engagement
The Facebook Algorithm has four major ranking signals, they are:
Relationship
Where is the post coming from? Do users engage with this person often? Do they interact on Facebook? Do they have mutual friends or react to the same posts?
Content-type
What type of media is in the post? An image, video, or link? Is it the same media the user interacts with often?
Popularity
How popular is this person? How popular is the post? How are people reacting to it? Are they sharing or liking it? Meanwhile, note that the Facebook algorithm as of 2021 ranks reactions (love, sad, etc.) above likes.
Recency
How recent is the post? Newer posts are ranked above old ones.
Final words
Facebook engagement is like communicating in real-time with real people? What will you do to be heard? You should write things that people can pause to read. Something that interests them. You will want to say it at a time they will be willing to hear, and if you don't want them to forget you, you will make sure to keep having healthy conversations with them.
The Facebook algorithm doesn't hate you. You only need to be systematic with your content to be its friend.
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