15 Types of Facebook Posts You Can Use to Engage Your Audience
Isn’t it frustrating when you send brand new posts into the world and the next day you find out they performed ‘okay’? Just ‘okay’ won’t do! Facebook is probably the most popular social platform out there and you can be sure that people have tried it all. Every imaginable format has been tested but the ones that have actually worked are all here.
Coming up with something new every day is an impossible task and not always rewarding. Without further ado, here are 15 types of Facebook posts that you must try if you’d like to see more engagement from your audience:
- Videos
Many marketers made claims about video being the hottest content trend of 2017. There’s so much room for creativity, so many ways to apply it to your industry that you simply have to try integrating video into your feed.
Offer your fans something valuable in the form of educational or entertainment videos. Spark some conversation by showing something they haven’t seen before, give them an opportunity to walk away having learned something. The videos you share can be educational, entertaining, promotional, shown as stories or just interesting snips. Whatever type of video you choose, make sure you’re staying in your niche and sharing something relevant.
- Photos/Images
Humans are visual creatures, we grasp images and their meanings quickly, we remember them much better in the long run. Turns out, Facebook posts with images get engagement than posts without images. This is because our brain is able to process images much faster than plain text.
Don’t shy away from visuals. Whenever you see a good opportunity, show instead of tell. Any industry you come from can show information in some form of a visual. Don’t stop there. Create series of images, tell stories and use photos, illustrations and other images to offer something unique to your audience and inspire more engagement as a result.
- Text
Although it is true that images are worth a thousand words, never underestimate the power of writing. If you have something valuable to say, by all means share it with your audience.
Updates, insights, facts and simply interesting thoughts are all worth sharing. Interchange your posts to include visuals and text; a combination of the two can go a long way in helping you with engagement.
4. UGC or Other People’s Content
User generated content has worked for many notable brands. Think about your industry, product or service that you’re offering. Sharing content that is made by other people that are happy customers gives you credibility and is a great way to market products. On top of it, you’re also working towards building a community around your brand/product.
Another tactic is to share other people’s content. If the brands and people you’re following are doing a good job with their page, reap some of those benefits! Share news stories, or current events that you think are interesting and worth your share.
5. Blog posts
You likely have a company blog where you share more insights and useful tips with your followers. If you’re following a schedule, integrate your blog posts into your social media strategy. Combine this with catchy graphics, and watch the responses flow in.
Don’t have a blog? Do some research and repost other popular blog posts and websites that are relevant to your business. Your feed can be a source of inspiration for your visitors, use the opportunity to show that you’re versatile.
6. Podcasts
People LOVE podcasts. Why? Because podcast are bundles of valuable knowledge delivered to us in bite sized pieces. There are so many podcasts out there on every imaginable topic — do some research. Find topics that can somehow be tied back to your brand or company and share it with your followers.
The thing with podcasts is if they’re successful and people like them, they’ll like and want to share them with their friends and family. Podcasts are usually educational and if you can tap into the topics that interest your fans and followers, you’ve got a winner.
7. Inspirational quotes
Inspirational quotes work well for engagement because when people see something that inspires them, something they can relate to, they immediately feel a need to spread the word. You’ll get lots of reposts if you execute the presentation well.
It’s quite easy to do as well. Simply find quotes that you think will be popular with your followers and use a graphic editor to bring them to life in a more aesthetically pleasing way. Simply posting a quote might not do the trick, but using Crello can drastically change the way your followers engage with the post when your designs are professional looking.
8. Bucket list posts — Fill-in-the-blanks
People are fueled by their dreams, ambitions and goals. Inviting bucket list responses is a quick way to get people talking. Think about the most prominent and exciting thing about your line of work, find a fitting image and share it as part of your bucket list. Ask people to like and share if they support your cause.
Another type of post that’s hard to skip is fill in the blanks. You create a sentence with a missing word (but not too open-ended) that really encourages people to share their stories by participating with their short answers. People that contribute to these types of posts feel like they’re a part of a larger community. They get to interact with each other, comment and like each other’s’ responses.
9. Funny memes
Count on humor to get you likes and shares. People on Facebook are on the lookout for some giggles and if you can do this tastefully without turning your page into a meme feed, by all means do so.
Find memes that can somehow be relevant to your business. Every industry has inside jokes as well, make the most of them!
10. Inspirational images
Inspirational images are usually eye catching. These are also images that make you look twice and in return inspire people to share them with their friends and family.
If you can tap into a great aesthetic to bring unity to your visual content, you’ll give people something to look forward to when they come to your page. Maintain a visual style that is consistent and you’ll watch your engagement grow by the week.
11. Questions
What better way to strike a conversation with your audience than open ended questions? If you can find a way to get people to participate in some minor decision making, do it and they will feel like you’re considerate of their opinions.
You can also post the questions that you get frequently asked and get other followers to give people their tips, advice and personal answers. You not only get more engagement, but you’re also indirectly helping your clients and followers.
12. Quizzes
Quizzes are so much fun, both to create and to participate in. It’s a fun task for you to do, and the returns on your time and efforts are immediately seen through audience engagement.
Quizzes also result in emotional responses and more often than not provoke conversation amongst participants. The key to great quizzes is marrying educational materials with a little bit of fun. The ultimate goal is to provide your followers with something they can relate to.
13. Call to action
The psychology with calls to actions is straightforward — people feel obliged to respond when they’re directly asked to. If you say “Like this if you agree with X”, you’re encouraging a reaction. Anyone that isn’t indifferent to your cause will likely respond.
A great tip to remember is to not overdo it with calls to actions. It might come off a little salesy, and people may feel like you’re forcing engagement. Use them sparingly and for a great cause.
14. Infographics
If you have a designer on the team, include them in your social media strategy! Do some research into a relevant branch of your business, and illustrate your ideas instead of stating them as facts.
Infographics get crazy shares and likes. One of the reasons is that they’re extremely informative and support text with interesting illustrations. If you create in-house infographics, Facebook is the perfect platform to spread the word.
15. Tips
Chances are you’ve been in your business for a while. Share useful tips with your audience. Ask questions, give advice and post your top tips to help your followers out. It’s a quick and simple way to educate, inform and engage your fans and followers.
If you’ve tried some of these and didn’t get the results you expected, mix and match them! The most important tip for the right approach is to always remain relevant. Don’t post just any image and expect engagement, or infographics that don’t relate to your business and other materials that will appear random.
Conclusion
Always try to find ways to tie your business, product or service to your Facebook posts. Don’t venture too far out as it might not make sense and appear as if you’re trying too hard to get likes and shares.
Narrow into your business, get creative, and watch your engagement grow by trying new things. Don’t settle for ‘okay’ posts and remember that the first rule to more engagement is finding a way to be relatable.