People who have the most success with Facebook pages are managers that not only post about their website or business, but who also engage in others' pages. There are a few etiquette rules when posting on Facebook, and here are a few ideas for how to get more engagement on your page.
Post One Facebook Status Update Per Day
This one is important. If you flood peoples' feeds with your updates, shares, and likes, they will quickly block your activity. The unspoken rule of thumb is to post one update per day and share once per day - at a different time of the day.
Post When your Readers Will Be on Facebook
If you post at 2am, and the majority of your readers are working class individuals that have 9-5 jobs and commute, you won't reach those people. However if you are writing for insomniac mothers that are up breastfeeding at 2am, then 2am is a good time to post. Understand who your readers are and what their marketing persona is and post according to their schedule. You will reach a lot more people that way.
Post Facebook Status Updates at Regular Times
If you post your updates at 6am when you know your marketing personas are up with their morning coffee, filtering through Facebook, they will grow to expect your updates. Your goal is for them to notice when you don't post.
Use Polls, Questions, and Updates - but not all at once.
Mix things up by posting a questions, polls, and updates throughout the week. Not everyone will always be up for commenting or answering a question, but checking a little box is fast and easy. Everyone has off days, and polls are exactly for those wordless days. Mixing it up also increases your EdgeRank - EdgeRank prefers variety.
Respond Quickly to all Facebook Comments
Put alerts on your phone or email to let you know when you receive a comment on a post. This is especially important when just beginning your Facebook page because they can be easy to forget. As your page gets more popular you can remove your e-mail updates (hopefully you have that problem of flooding Facebook comments in your e-mail!).
When you get a comment, respond as quickly and timely as possible. Always follow up with another question so that your follower is prompted to write back and keep the conversation fresh and relevant. Engaging with followers and continuously asking them questions makes them want to write back because they feel special and appreciated: their words matter. This leads to more engagement and a higher EdgeRank score.
Be Active on Other Pages
Do not just hang out at your own Facebook page. Interact with other people and they will return the favor. This does two things: 1) It increases engagement and brings attention to your page and 2) it provides valuable market research to see what is working for other people and what is not working.
Above all, be sincere about what you are posting and asking of your followers. Insincere posts and questions can be sensed even through a computer screen. Even though you are communicating through a virtual wall, you are still talking to real people on the other end.
Carmen Sofia Grant - Carmen is a social media marketer, freelance writer, and blogger. Her favorite blogs are MomCrunch and Social Media Examiner.com
