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Are your Facebook posts going unnoticed in Facebook's news feed?
Are you wondering how to get more people to pay attention?
Sharing updates that speak to your fans' interests and that entertains can provide great opportunities for interaction.
In this article, I'll show you eight ways to get great traction with practical Facebook updates.
Rethinking Facebook Posts
Facebook has woven itself into the very fabric of our global community.
It provides a unique and powerful opportunity for your business to intersect with your ideal audience without that audience needing to search for you or already be thinking about you.
The downside is that you're competing with a lot of other noise in the news feed. The key, then, is to find a way to attract your fans' attention so your updates aren't missed or ignored.
Unfortunately, many businesses have yet to learn how to engage socially on Facebook. They still post too many self-serving updates that don't connect with their audience. I've been guilty of this, and perhaps you have been too!
On Facebook, the primary reason people are there is to be entertained. So obviously for businesses, being too salesy isn't going to work.
Does that mean your Facebook presence is a waste of time? No way! It's a prime opportunity for what I call attraction marketing—sharing content that is helpful, social and serves your audience, not product-specific to your business.
Attraction marketing is discovery, awareness and an initial touch point. As users engage with your content (i.e., likes, shares and comments), you create affinity and trust, ultimately creating a quality, engaged audience that's ready for building social relationships.
Additionally, that increased engagement is a signal to Facebook that your page updates are interesting to your fans. Facebook, in turn, makes sure your updates appear more in the news feeds of engaged users.
Let's look at ways businesses are successfully using attraction marketing as a key part of their Facebook efforts.
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE#1: The Pure Fun Post
As I mentioned, one of the prime reasons people visit Facebook is to be entertained. You can certainly create fun, entertaining posts around your brand, but don't be afraid to post things that are unrelated.
In the example above, a boutique serving moms and tots posted a fun update that wasn't directly related to their brand, but incorporated a fun challenge that their audience would enjoy.
The post ultimately resulted in significant engagement and likely kept their fans coming back for more.
#2: The Related Event Post
The related event post takes some creativity, but when done right it's a real winner. Use a common event that the masses would know about and tie that to the business or organization in some way (e.g., apparel stores making a connection with the Olympics).
The Wilderness Society has a mission to preserve America's wild lands. When they posted the update below, they connected it to the Oscars and posted it a few hours prior to the ceremony.
The post clearly is not salesy, but it brings attention to specific national parks that the Wilderness Society serves, while capitalizing on a popular event. The update drew Facebook users in and those users ultimately engaged with the content.
#3: The Incentive Post
This post is one of my favorites because you offer a free incentive that serves multiple purposes.
This post by Enchanting Lawyer promotes a recent podcast episode and an opportunity to download a free copy of a book. When a viewer clicks the link, he lands on a Facebook tab app with a like-gate; anyone wanting to download the book must become a page fan first.
Enchanting Lawyer's Facebook page focuses on helping law firms grow their practice with the use of social media. The post above fits their mission and is a low-key form of lead capture with attraction.
By offering a free copy of a new book, they're encouraging more podcast downloads and increased interest—which can lead to new fans as well.
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#4: The Giveaway Post
Since Facebook made the change in promotion rules last year, now companies can run simple giveaways via a post from their business page. These posts invite users to enter a giveaway by having them like or comment on a post.
The value in giveaways is that they are a fast form of engagement. Ultimately that helps build your audience's affinity, and again, signals to Facebook that the posts from your page are important to that Facebook user.
The primary ways to ensure a successful giveaway are tying the contest to your business services and limiting the time to enter. This post from Race for the Fallen is a great example.
For example, if a restaurant hosts a giveaway, an Amazon gift card doesn't tie into their business. Instead, it makes more sense to give away a gift card to the restaurant itself.
Page giveaways are best done in a matter of hours and definitely not lasting for days. Use a sense of urgency to encourage a quick response.
#5: The Shareable Quote Post
Remember I said one of the main reasons people are on Facebook is to be entertained? People love inspirational quotes that motivate them or elicit a particular emotion, which in turn can lead to post interaction, especially shares.
A Facebook share plays a huge part in social proof and can result in many new friends of fans finding (and liking) your page. These new eyes are an opportunity for you to start the relationship-building process.
In the example above, Amanda Brazel is offering small business social media consulting, training and services. The update is inspirational in nature and speaks to her targeted entrepreneurial clients who, in turn, did an outstanding job of sharing it further.
#6: The Invitation Post
Provide a specific call to action such as asking your fans to like, comment on or share an image or update. The key to your fans following through on your simple yet direct request is to share something that catches their attention.
John Haydon works with nonprofits and his Facebook update above is somewhat connected to his business purpose, yet serves to reach a broad audience, ultimately driving more discovery of John and his services.
#7: The “Behind the Curtain” Post
Sharing behind-the-scenes action to show your company's culture grabs fans' attention and makes them feel more connected to you.
Georgetown Bagelry posts fun videos like Name That Tune. The result is a laugh, more likes, more comments and quite a few shares, all of which accomplish the attraction marketing goals of connecting and engaging (and don't forget entertaining!).
#8: The Branded Image Post
Branded image updates are simple posts that include a related hashtag and focus on shares.
As you can see below, Legendary Whitetails doesn't give a direct sales message, but the attraction impact is huge. They know their audience and play to their interests as well as their emotions.
Not only does Legendary Whitetails incorporate a quote with a visual, they include a logo and URL on the image as well. Any shares immediately tie the update to their brand.
Branded images are a brilliant, low-key way for any company to connect with their fans and expand their reach. Now that's the power of Facebook right before your eyes!
Conclusion
Not every type of attraction post works for every business. Your success relies on knowing your audience and finding ways to be entertaining, relevant, helpful and authentic.
Giving your audience content they value results in more social proof, and ultimately, more overall interaction and more fans.
I hope these ideas and examples of Facebook posts have your creative juices flowing and you're thinking about ways you can adapt them for your business so you reach new ideal Facebook users, and provide additional touch points that ultimately strengthen your Facebook sales funnel.
What do you think? Do you have ideas on how these ideas fit with your brand? What other examples of great attraction marketing posts can you share? Please leave your questions and comments in the box below.
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