Let's face it, interacting with our fans on our Facebook business page can feel like pulling teeth. I know there have been times where I have been on the brink of pulling my hair out because, no matter what I tried, readers refused to respond to my posts. I came across this article on Forbes, titled 100 Killer Ideas for Your Social Media Content and found many of these ideas to valuable ways to keep readers engaged. Here are my top 10 favorites from the article.
- Let Readers Fill-in-the-blank - Give your audience the chance to utilize their creative side by completing fill-in-the-blank sentences. For example, "If I could be a celebrity for a day, I would be _______ because _____________." It will be fun to read some of the responses you receive. Another great idea is posting a picture and asking your audience what they think the people, animals, etc. in the picture are saying or thinking.
- Polls - Give your fans a chance to voice their opinion through a poll question.
- Infographics - You have probably seen infographics before. They have the ability to put a large amount of useful information into one page with pictures. Post an infographic that you feel your readers would like or create one yourself.
- Pictures - Pictures usually get more likes and comments than links and text. This could be an image of your products, your store or office, or simply a picture that you found online that would resonate with your viewers.
- Contests - When there's a chance to win something, anything, you'll see just how fast readers respond. For example, if you own a clothing store, post a picture of one of your outfits or accessories and ask your audience to respond for a chance to win that item.
- Reviews - One of the best advertising tools is testimonials and reviews. While most people won't voluntarily post a review, don't be afraid to send private messages or emails to these customers asking for them to post a review on your Facebook page.
- Re-Post Old Blogs and Articles - Look through your old blog posts until you find one that was popular among your audience. There's a chance some of your fans missed it the first time, so post it again for more exposure.
- Share Information Unrelated to Your Business - If you are constantly posting information, sales pitches, and links about your own business, readers will start to get bored. Did you read an interesting article? Post the link on your Facebook business page to gain your audience's trust, knowing that you are not only trying to sell your products to them.
- Post Something Controversial - When it comes to controversy, you can bet that everyone has an opinion. Choose the topic carefully and then ask readers for their opinion.
- Ask Questions - Similar to #1, give your fans the opportunity to share their opinions or expertise. People like to feel like they are being heard, so they will appreciate having that opportunity by answering questions.