So happy to be here today, Andrea!  Fire away, friends.  I am ready to jump in!

Great question, Michelle.  With topics that are a little “less than exciting” it can be a struggle to engage your audience on any platform!

One suggestion I have for you is to mix things up.  Each day I would post something entertaining (and a little off topic) but still in the range of your niche. For example, if your business is car insurance, I might ask the question, “What was your very first car?” and then post a photo of an retro cool car that will spark nostalgia to grab attention.

Or I might post something like “What’s your favorite song that you can’t resist singing in the car when it comes on the radio?” – just fun posts like that.

Or a “Did you know?” kind of post with some driving or car related entertaining trivia.  Just to keep things fun.

And then each day I would also post something of value to your customers – tips to keep their insurance rates down, a quick tip to remember if they are ever in a car accident, etc.

Your goal, if you are in car insurance, is to stay on the radar of your existing fans and to engage with them enough that the friends of fans will see those posts and remember you next time they shop for car insurance.  You might not have a site that your customers jump on every single day, but that’s not necessary for you to be successful on FB.  Again, the goal is to stay top of mind when the time comes that you are needed!

Hope that helps!

Amy

Hi @amyporterfield – I have a question  What are your thoughts on responding within threads to continue the conversation?  I know some people make sure they answer almost every person who responds but then others post a question and don’t say much afterwards and just let the community discuss it.  Do you think there is a good formula for how much to jump in?  

@amyporterfield Hi, it’s great that you are here What do you think is the best way to get and engage users on B2B pages 

Hi, Ann!  I would not worry about reposting at all.  Think of your audience as unique – and you have no idea what they’ve seen and have not seen.  So if you see something on FB that you like, share it on your page for sure.  What you want to be more focused on is the mix between funny/silly/interesting/valuable/etc.  You don’t want TOO much silly and not enough value – that’s not a great reflection of your brand.  But at the same time, it’s nice to mix in some fun.  So it’s a balancing game for sure

Hey, Andrea!

I think it’s smart to jump back into the thread of comments and acknowledge people and expand on the conversation.  But I don’t think it is necessary to respond to EVERYONE – especially if there are a lot of comments.  To me that starts to look like you are a robot, vs having a casual conversation.  Mari Smith sometimes clicks LIKE next to all the people who leave comments on her steams to acknowledge them, and I like that tip.  The more you can make your responses to comments seem like real conversations and not forced or canned, the better.  So when it seems right to you, jump back in and comment for sure.  But don’t just do it because you think you “have to” for social etiquette.  That’s just my 2 cents!

Love that answer, @amyporterfield – I like the idea of trying to expand the conversation.  Thanks!

My page is very interactive…mostly because people ask lots of questions, but I am always looking up relevant news, info, positive things to share, etc.  I have noticed a lot of successful pages share photos & give clear directions as to what they want their fan base to do.  This is intriguing to me.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it does.  I posted a new car and said “If you would like to be driving this car, please click LIKE, say I Do and share.”  It was amazing to see how many people really did it.  Some wanted to know if they were going to win the car.  lol. My friend (the car salesman) picked up a few leads that way.  I told him he should let them know they should come in for a test drive.

I am wondering what is the most important facet to facebook…the reach, “talking about this,” fan/likes count, or friends of fans when it comes to interaction?

PS – I love the idea of having Guest Experts.  Thanks @andrea-vahl and  @amyporterfield

Hi, @LouisTeoh.

Great question.  If your fans respond better to fun images and inspiration quotes, keep doing what’s working. It just might be that your fans like your images and quotes better than your questions – as for a reason, it’s just hard to tell sometimes!

However, if we looked at this a bit more, are you asking questions that directly relate to your audience’s interests, challenges, needs, etc?  A question that might work great on my page might not interest your fans at all – so the subject matter is important!

Also, consistency is important.  If you post questions and fill in the blanks only once in awhile, you are likely not going to get the activity you are looking for.  However, it you post the questions and fill in the blanks more regularly, you will start to see your fans pay attention more and engage more often.  It becomes more of a habit for them.

Hope this helps!

Best,Amy

Hi, @milan-steskal!

For the B2B question, 

Hi, @kim-olive.  You are not alone with your reduced reach – I am hearing that across the board.  Frustrating I know.

As for any other suggestions, consistency is key.  So make sure that you are posting on a regular basis – that makes a huge difference on engagement.

Also, I would suggest you mix up your content.  I am at Content Marketing World right now and I was listening to CC. Chapman talk about content strategy.  He showed us an example of a company that sells military grade backbacks to the average hiker.  He said that the company rarely talks about their backpacks on their social networks and blogs, but instead they talk about the military, their passion about “American made” and also their passion and excitement for travel. When you use your mission and passion to expand beyond your product in your content marketing, you can capture the attention of your ideal audience and keep them coming back for more.  Just something to think about!

Best,Amy