12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement

In the social media world, every tiny detail matters for the overall big picture. Social media engagement is one of those things that can't be overlooked, especially on Facebook. Facebook is the highest used social media platform, so it's no brainer that you want engagement there. Plus, with organic reach declining, you want to make sure every post counts. There are some commonly known tactics for increasing Facebook engagement:

1. Using visuals
2. Curating content
3. Posting at the best times

But what about the tactics we don't think about? The ones that aren't so obvious? Let's take a look at some unique ways to boost your Facebook engagement.

The Facebook Engagement Tactics You Need To Try

1. Share videos for 135% more reach

Visuals are eye-catching when your audience is scrolling through their news feed. It's been proven time and time again that visuals help improve engagement, but what about videos? Research shows that videos have a 135% greater organic reach compared to photos. That's a crazy high number. Not only does adding videos into your social media strategy increase engagement, but it's also SUPER easy to upload videos. No really...it's as simple as 1, 2, 3:

1. Click Photo/Video at the top of your News Feed or Timeline
2. Choose a video
3. Click Post

Facebook will process your video for you and let you know when it's ready to view. While it's processing, you can click Edit to add a title and add tags. We've also launched our new Social Video feature. You can schedule, share, and manage all of your social media videos directly in CoSchedule. Let us do all the work for you!

2. Post standalone graphics to share quick tips

Most of the images you're posting on Facebook have a link relating to the image. At CoSchedule, we do this on our own Facebook page. We post a graphic and then add a link to a blog post. But then we had to stop and ask ourselves, "Are all these links benefitting our audience?" We tested this theory by posting standalone graphics. We wanted test whether posts without links received better reach than posts with links and to mix up the kind of content we're creating and sharing. The results were impeccable. A standalone graphic is an image that gives useful information on its own without needing a link back to something. For our standalone graphics, we give tidbits of information and quotes from well-known marketers. We found that these graphics resonated higher with our audience and had an increased engagement rate compared to our link posts. Create standalone graphic using these awesome tools:

• Canva (free, paid)
• Photoshop (paid subscription)
• Piktochart (free, paid)
• Visage (free, paid)

3. Show your brand's personality

Every piece of content you post on Facebook should portray your company's personality. The best way to showcase this is by sharing team pictures of your office shenanigans. Let your audience know that you aren't a social media robot -- you're a real person. We've tried this on our own Facebook and the results were outstanding. Wishpond's data showed that photo posts get 120% more engagement than the average post, so imagine the potential of personality photos. Don't spam your audience with information about your product or service all the time. Believe it or not, your audience wants to get to know the faces behind the logo.

• Share photos of all the awesome things that happen in your office.
• Update your header photo to display your team.
• Ask your audience to help you settle an office debate.
• When responding to comments, use names and include yours.

4. Use Facebook Live for 3x longer viewing

As we know now, posting videos on Facebook does in fact increase engagement. Something even more powerful than Facebook videos is *drum roll please* Facebook Live. Studies show that people spend 3x longer watching video which is live compared to video that's been pre-recorded. Use Facebook Live to share tips, give demos, or just to thank your audience. To get started with Facebook Live get out your mobile phone and:

1. Go to your Facebook business profile and open up the status bar.
2. Tap the Live icon, which is a red button shaped like a person.
3. Allow Facebook to access your camera and microphone.
4. Describe your live video (optional)
5. Press the blue Go Live icon.

There is a way to use Facebook Live on your laptop or desktop. Although this is not for creating live videos from your computer's webcam. This will create a live video, streamed directly from your professional video equipment or encoding software. Here's a walkthrough from Mashable: If you want to shoot Facebook Live from your laptop or desktop:

1. Click on Publishing Tools at the top of your Facebook page.
2. Then click on Videos on the left menu.
3. Then click on the +Live button on the top right.
4. Then copy the stream key from your video software into the window that appears. (Most of the time it will already be filled in.)
5. Click the blue Go Live icon.

5. Create a Facebook User group for maximum engagement

Does your audience have questions often? Do you have super fans? If so, creating a Facebook user group for your business might be beneficial. Let your audience know that you've created a Facebook user group. This way your most dedicated fans can join and discuss your product with other users. Make sure you are checking this group page on a regular basis. You can even treat the user group like a VIP club, where members get exclusive info on features before they launch. Some ways you can connect with these users are:

• Get feedback on new features. With Facebook groups, you can create polls directly within the group. Ask these users how they feel about a new product or what they would like to see next.
• Share your company's achievements. Remember, these are your super fans, and they care about the progress you're company has made. If your business wins an award, share a quick post in the user group.
• Answer questions. One of the main reasons for a Facebook user group is so these members can interact and ask questions about your product. Don't let your fans do all the talking. Jump in and share your insights.

Join our CoSchedule user group!

6. Pin posts for higher visibility

According to SumoMe, pinning content onto Twitter brings 5x more engagement. The same goes for Facebook. Wait, what? Yes, you can pin on Facebook! Pinning posts on Facebook will bring that post to the top of your page for however long you want it there. This way, that specific post will receive high visibility when viewers visit your Facebook page. To pin on Facebook, simply:

1. Select the post you want pinned on your Facebook page.
2. Click the drop down arrow at the top right corner of the post.
3. Select Pin To Top.
4. Tada! You have a pinned post.

To unpin a post from your profile page, follow the same steps except this time you will select Unpin From Top. Try it out!

7. Create Facebook Ads for quick engagement

Here are some shocking stats to take away from Zephoria. At 1.49 billion, Facebook has more monthly active users than WhatsApp (500 million), Twitter (284 million) and Instagram (200 million)—combined. That's a lot of users to keep track of. The best way to target the right audience for your business, is through Facebook ads. You have to spend money in order to make money. Facebook ads are a guaranteed way to reach more people and bring engagement to your page. To create Facebook ads:

1. Decide which type of ad you want. Choose from promoting your page, promoting a post, or promoting your sign up button.
2. Choose your audience. You can select your audience by location, age, gender, interests and more.
3. Set your budget and schedule. Set a daily or lifetime budget and schedule how long you want it to run.
4. Set your ad live. Once you've narrowed down what type of ad, your target audience, and your budget.

For more info, Neil Patel has an awesome guide on Facebook ads to help get you started.

8. Drive traffic from other social media sites

Is your business on Twitter? How about LinkedIn? Maybe even Instagram? Chances are, your business is on more than one social channel. Use these sites as a gateway to bring your audience to your Facebook company page. For example, when your Twitter followers mention your company, you can occasionally respond back by encouraging them to check out your Facebook page. Remember not to respond to every mention this way so you don't come across as spammy. Only encourage your followers to check out your Facebook page if you truly think they would.

9. Add a CTA button to boost promotion

Want to promote your website? Or a new video? Facebook provides several different Call-to-Action buttons you can add directly into your cover photo including:

• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Use App
• Play Game
• Shop Now
• Sign Up
• Watch Video

Bring your audience a step further by promoting your business in a different way; with the click of a button. You'll also need an an awesome Facebook cover photo for your Call-to-Action button to be successful. To add a CTA button to your Facebook page:

1. Go to your Page's cover photo and click + Add a Button.
2. Choose your call-to-action, and enter the URL for your website.
3. Click Create.

Customizing a CTA button is a simple method to bring more traffic to where ever you need it. It also makes your Facebook page look more professional. Consider adding one to your business page.

10. Create graphics for your profile that are branded + clear

Your Facebook profile picture and cover photo show your audience what your company is all about. In order for you audience to engage with you, your Facebook page must be inviting. This means that you need to have a SUPER, AWESOME, FANTASTIC profile and cover photo. Okay...maybe not that extreme, but you should create graphics for your profile that are clearly unique to your brand. Post Planner noticed your profile picture appears in:

• The news feed of your followers.
• Posts on your page's Timeline.
• Replies in comments.
• Comments & posts you make on other pages while using your page.

It's seen in many different places! So be sure to use your logo as your profile picture that is clear and sized correctly. For your cover photo choose a photo that:

• Showcases your personality.
• Promotes a new feature or product.
• Describes your product, like how the Kissmetrics cover photo does.
• Highlight upcoming events.

Above all, have fun with your profile profile picture and cover photo! Be unique and stand out.

11. Participate in Facebook groups within your industry

We've talked about creating a Facebook user group page for your own company, but what about participating in other groups? Participating in Facebook groups allows you provide helpful and informative advice or to start relevant discussions that can help generate interest in your brand. Search for other brands within your industry and see if they have a group page, then simply join it.

• Your primary reason to be in a group is to participate in other people’s discussions, not to start them. So answer, chime in and let the community guide the discussion.
• When participating, don’t shamelessly promote your content. Don’t just share, but participate!
• Join several different groups that are relevant to your company or brand that you can participate in regularly. This will help get the word out about you from other members.

12. Create an event via your Facebook page

Creating and hosting events on Facebook is something that often gets forgotten about, but is great for engagement. Rather than just updating a post about an upcoming event, create a Facebook event for it. It's like being invited to an exclusive party, except everyone gets invited. Consider creating events that are hosted by your page, such as:

• A sale.
• An ongoing promotion.
• A special event.
• A new feature launch.

Then, invite people who have liked your page to the event. The great thing about Facebook events is that, whether they are attending or just interested in the event, they will continue to receive information whenever you update the event page. BONUS: Their friends will be able to see if they are attending and may also be drawn to your page. Sprout Social found the 13 best ways to plan and organize a Facebook event:

What Facebook engagement tactics work for you?

Hopefully these tactics sparked ideas for ways you can boost your Facebook engagement. The more effective you are at engaging with consumers, the more successful you will be at growing your subscriber rate, which in turn will help provide you with more leads to conversions. Go on Facebook, have fun, and get those engagement rates up!