Pressing ‘Post’ does not guarantee your post is actually going to be seen. Some posts only make it into a handful of your fans newsfeeds!!! Impossible right?? Unfortunately it’s true…
Facebook filters posts based on thousands of criteria – this is called the Facebook Algorithm. They do this, to make sure you are seeing things that will interest you. After all…Facebook is meant to be entertaining!
When you publish a post, Facebook only shows it to only a small number of your fans.
If those people click on the image or link, like the post, comment on, or share the post, then Facebook will show the post to a few more people.
If the next group of people also interact with the post, then Facebook will keep showing it to more and more people! Facebook will even start to show it to your fan’s friends which can mean your post may be seen by more people than you have likes!
Getting those first few people to engage with your post is really important! If they don’t… Facebook will stop showing your post as they think it is either not interesting or low quality content.
So how do I get that first group of fans to see my post??
Tip Number One – Pick the right time of day!
You are automatically going to get more people to see your post, if you post when they are actually on Facebook. The majority of my audience is on Facebook at 10pm at night. So I usually post from 9pm onwards.
Ideally, it is best to post live…so you can be there to monitor and reply to comments, but if you can’t, schedule your post beforehand.
Tip Number Two – Write a catchy headline!
Before you post something ask yourself…Do you think someone will like, comment or even share this post?
Is it positive, entertaining or informative?
Tell a story, share information and tips and end with a Call to Action.
The point of each post is to get engagement, which will lead to reach, which leads to more people learning about your business, which can lead to increased sales!
Tip Number Three – Use awesome images!
Make the most of every bit of space Facebook gives you!
The correct size for a Facebook post is 940px X 788px (248.71mm X 208.49mm).
And remember to add your logo to each image. I love Canva and use it to make all my Facebook images!
Tip Number Four – Post Awesome Content!
Your business can succeed on Facebook! All you need to do…is to be human, social, friendly, happy, entertaining and informative! …without the sales pitches…
The point of Facebook is to be SOCIAL! It was never intended as a business medium – and actually penalizes overly promotional posts.
Sure people love sales and things, but they came to Facebook for light entertainment, to find out what is going on in the world and for catching up with friends.
Here are 11 tips for creating Awesome Content!
- Use CTA (Call to Action) posts while telling a personal story
- Share posts if they relate to your business
- Be topical!!
- Share information, secrets and tips! Help people. What can I do for you!
- Story tell your brand – why you started your business, why you love it, accomplishments, behind the scenes
- Share REAL stories!
- Story tell about you, your life and your day!
- Share your customers stories
- Offer a Q & A
- Entertain! Be funny!
- Take advantage of trending if it is appropriate for your business
Trending shows you a list of topics and hashtags that have recently become popular on Facebook. This list is personalised based on a number of factors, including Pages you’ve liked, your location and what’s trending across Facebook.
There is a great deal of luck in creating a post that people will find interesting enough to comment on and share. The one above on stripe vs paypal isn’t particularly noteworthy compared to other facebook posts on the Jezweb facebook page. Perhaps it was because the visual and idea was interesting enough (even though poorly lit and quickly drawn) for a few people to click and comment on which gave it a reach of over 1000. (edit: Jeremy).
You can check the reach of your facebook posts from the insights tab, eg.
Which can give you a quick visual of what has worked well, the posts that are getting comments and being seen more widely.
Tip Number Five – Include a CTA! (Call to Action)
Facebook is a direct link to your website, and hopefully therefore a link to your online shop…and hopefully an awesome way to increase sales!
A Call to Action can be used in two ways. Firstly to ask people to interact on your page, which leads to more people seeing and learning about your business as the more people who comment…the more people will see your post. This is why it is super important to always add your logo to your images!
Secondly, a Call to Action can direct people to your blog, website and online shop.
Tip Number Six – Use the ‘Hot Thread’ Tactic!
I love this tactic, and it works especially well for pages that are starting out. All it is…is keeping a post ‘alive’ as long as possible – and therefore more people will see your post!
This is how to do it…
As soon as you post, like your own post and make a comment. This shows Facebook someone is interested! And…another benefit is that people prefer to comment and like posts that already have likes and comments.
The second part is to go back to your post 10-20 minutes later and reply to and like all comments. This encourages more interaction with the people who initially liked and commented…and hopefully Facebook will then show this post to even more people!
Tip Number Seven – Post daily!
This is the absolute number one rule!! If you don’t post anything…absolutely no one will see your posts…
Yes, every day something interesting, and definitely no less than once per week.
Get your Facebook posts seen more often
How to get your Facebook posts seen was written by Sally the lemon oil loving, eco friendly cleaning, housework wizard of Neat Freak and edited by Jeremy of Jezweb. You can find Sally’s essential oil guides and more at www.neatfreakme.com.
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