Everyone loves know that they’re engaging with their audience by seeing a high number of Facebook shares!
Whether you’re recommending a valuable resource, posting an important business update, or letting your followers know that a new blog post is live, Facebook shares are a great way to measure your page’s engagement.
But what happens when you’re seeing little to no shares on your posts and you’re desperately looking for a boost?
Look no further! Below you’ll find a list of ways to raise your share numbers and be sure you’re getting the engagement you want for your page.
1. Post At The Right Time
If your primary goal is to have your posts seen as often as possible by your audience, you’ll want to post at key times.
Believe it or not, the most global engagement on Facebook occurs around lunchtime: early to mid-afternoon.Click To TweetThat means that more than ever, people are browsing their feed during their free time and their afternoon slump. To target the broadest possible audience, you’ll want to schedule your posts to run during this time.
Results can never be guaranteed, of course, but there’s a higher likelihood of your post being seen at 1pm on a Wednesday instead of 6:30pm that same day.
So post away! You want all your posts to be seen and valued, so knowing when to post for the highest response rate is important.
2. Craft A Call To Action
One of the best ways to motivate your target audience to share your content is by eliciting a strong response. People love to share their opinions and Facebook has proven to be the perfect venue for this type of engagement.
While you should never deliberately share content to cause controversy or tension, you can ask questions or share articles on a topic likely to spark a discussion. Your goal should be to cause your audience to pause and consider their thoughts or feelings. A strong enough reaction to a post is likely to warrant a response, which is where the share button comes in.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to “tell” your audience how to respond to your post.Click To TweetWhile asking for likes is quite common, encourage your audience to comment or share your post and post their thoughts. Foster relationships by reading and responding to those who do share and engage them in conversation. Otherwise thank them!
3. Post High-Quality Images And Videos
Blurry pictures? Throw them out.
Videos that look like they were filmed at 360p? Nope.
Every piece of content is a representation of your blog, brand, or business.Click To TweetYou want your Facebook posts to look as professional as possible, which means there’s no room for low-quality media.
Develop some basic photo editing skills (a must-have in today’s hyper-visual marketing industry). If you know how to make minor lighting and coloration changes, you’re already on your way to creating beautiful images.
You don’t have to be a master of Photoshop! If your posts are mostly graphics, check out some of Pic Monkey’s pre-designed templates for inspiration or a starting point.
The bottom line is that your media posts should be clear and polished. People love sharing content that is visually appealing and media posts on Facebook perform much better than any other type.
4. Post Consistently
How often should you be posting? It actually depends on what your posts look like.
If you’re a “traditional” business, you might only need to be posting around your business hours (typically 9-5, Monday-Friday). Unless you have special or specific content, you could leave the weekends free.
However, for any full-time blogger or brand, you might consider posting at least once every day, if not more. While you want to remind your audience that you’re active, you don’t want to spam their feeds (which might result in an unfollow).
Regardless of what you do, you must have a consistent presence on social media at all times if you want to be successful.Click To TweetAlso, consider the type of content you’re sharing.
- Are you only posting on Facebook whenever a new blog post goes live?
- Are you posting a wide variety of pre-planned content that covers multiple aspects of your niche?
- Are you only posting major business updates, announcements, and sales?
Every Facebook account will have different needs. Your job is to determine the perfect posting amount to meet those needs!
5. Boost Or Promote Your Posts
The only option on this list that isn’t free!
Facebook makes it fast and easy for you to market select posts, starting at just $3. If you’re concerned that your posts need an extra “boost,” this is always an option to consider.
While it’s not guaranteed to result in more likes, comments, or shares, it will result in more exposure!
Proper exposure can lead to those shares you’re desperately craving, assuming that your content is solid.Click To TweetYou can boost or promote your posts within Facebook itself. This method might not work for every blog, brand, or business, but it’s an option to consider as your page grows in popularity.
6. Post What People Care About
Your most relevant content will get the most shares, every single time.Click To TweetIf you’ve been working in your niche long enough, you should have a decent indicator of the “hot topics.”
- What’s sparking discussion?
- What’s on everyone’s minds?
- What are some major fears or concerns?
- Breaking news or technological advancements?
Simply put, people want to share what matters most to them.
By finding the issues and topics within your niche that people want to hear more about, you can craft your content more effectively.
Let’s say you’re a beauty blogger who specializes in featuring vegan, all-natural, or organic products. Consider sharing with your audience a list of unexpected ingredients to avoid in their beauty products. Or breaking news on a company recently involved in a scandal.
Find the best ways to cultivate discussion, to cause a, “I want others to know more about this too!” reaction.
7. Spread The Word About Something Important
If you’re running a for-profit business, of course, you’re concerned with your financial numbers. Increasing sales and exposure is likely near (if not at the top) of your agenda. However, presenting another side of your business can also assist in accomplishing these goals.
Small businesses, local businesses, non-profits, and social causes are all great to promote on your Facebook page, especially if they’re specifically within your niche!
Give your audience access to more than what you’re offering.Click To TweetShare with them how to make a difference within your niche or how others are making a difference.
Celebrate humanity so that you can enable your followers to share the information and do the same.
8. Keep It Casual
Integrate an authentic personality into your brand.Click To TweetYour audience will love to see and hear the real you behind the Facebook posts. Mix up your tone of voice!
After all, this is social media. The purpose is to keep everything social.
- Try discarding your formal, professional, or business voice for a more enthusiastic, interactive, and engaging tone.
- Experiment with exclamation points.
- Try writing how you would talk to someone if you met them in a coffee shop.
- Play around with a sense of humor.
- Do you have any niche-specific jokes you can share?
- Puns (when used sparingly) can also be a method of engagement.
Your audience will always want to know the authentic you behind their screen. Connect better with them by mixing up your writing voice!
9. Give Resources
If you focus on posts that are truly beneficial to your audience, they’ll be more than likely to share those posts with others.Click To TweetGraphics, decision trees, how-to’s, checklists, really all of the freebies that come to mind. Give what you know you’d like to get. There’s a lot to be said for putting yourself in the shoes of your audience.
Share links to things that will improve the overall quality of life for your audience within your niche.
It’s a surefire way to boost your Facebook shares!
10. Experiment With Long And Short Posts
Add variety to your post structure! Not all posts have to be three paragraphs, but they also don’t need to be a single sentence.
Mix up the amount of text you include in your posts and ALWAYS consider adding a photo, video, graphic, or some form of media to enhance it.
You might end up discovering a pattern in what types of posts perform best! Otherwise, you’ll be building a well-varied page of content to attract more followers.
Either way, it’s a win-win.
Just start!
Consistent engagement rarely comes overnight.
If you’re hoping to increase your Facebook shares, you’re now armed with a list of ten tips.
Try them out today and see what works best for you and your needs.
Mercy Barrial is a senior at Wheaton College (IL) studying Communication Media Studies and Journalism and planning to enter the marketing industry after graduation. She serves as Chair of the Media Team, Arts and Entertainment Editor for the Wheaton Record, and she works as a Media Relations intern for the Marketing and Communications Department.