Ever wonder why your posts aren’t getting any likes?
Facebook is a social media platform that is constantly changing and being updated, and lately it has become very business-oriented, with more opportunities to have your posts viewed if you participate in their business features by basically buying your audience.
While there is a time and a place for using this tool to get huge exposure on a powerful post and draw people to your business Facebook page, what I want to share is more for the everyday person to increase views on their own personal profile and posts to promote their brand, attract more followers and friends, and create more opportunities for themselves without spending money to get likes!
The goal is to get your posts to the top of your friends’ news feeds so that they are viewed right away, and this isn’t as simple as being the most recent post anymore. Facebook algorithms are changing in favour of profiles that are dominating the platform, and I’ve learned a few tricks to do that!
Keep reading if you want to learn some of the secrets I’ve discovered about Facebook engagement…
Text is not enough anymore!
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, making use of the Facebook Live tool.
Allow me to let you in on this “good, better, even better, best” trick:
Nothing but text in your post is okay every once in a while, but you will definitely find it doesn’t get as much engagement.
Posts with photos attached are viewed more than text.
Videos are viewed more than photos.
Live videos are viewed even more than uploaded videos!
Why is this? Well, not only are people more likely to stop when they see an exciting photo or video than just plain text on their newsfeed, but Facebook algorithms actually wash out posts that don’t make use of photos and videos in favour of people using their new live tool and posting more creative content that includes other media!
So getting your post higher up on news feeds starts off as simple as attaching a related photo to all of your text posts, and making an effort to capture more videos of things like sunsets, beach days, cute puppies, etc. instead of just photos. And if you really want to put yourself out there, try going live! Facebook will actually notify people that your video is live, increasing your views even more.
Post More Content!
Facebook algorithms favour people who post frequently, so even if you have a really great post, it may not be seen much if you only post once a week.
There are different suggestions out there on the internet for the best posting frequency, but I’ve found that 2-4 posts per day has worked out really well for me!
You can play around with how often you post and compare how many likes and comments you’re getting to find the sweet spot for you! I would definitely recommend posting at least once every two days to keep your posts at a higher priority level so that they’re viewed by more people.
Don’t Post Too Much Though… Content Still Matters!
The problem with being told to post more is that a lot of people will start posting all over the place just for the sake of having a high post frequency, without putting much thought into their posts.
You definitely don’t want to post so much that you start to annoy anyone, but on top of that, you want each post to be intentional and make sure that it adds value to your friends/followers, because Facebook algorithms also prioritize posts that are getting a lot of likes and comments.
Have you ever wondered why, when you log onto Facebook, if you missed an engagement/pregnancy/birth announcement, it’s right at the top of your feed? That’s because these posts usually have hundreds of likes and tons of comments of congratulations to the poster. So more engagement on a post = larger audience. Facebook will actually start off most posts by opening them up to 10-20% of your friends/followers, and this number will increase with time if the post is getting lots of engagement. So some of your posts may not even be viewed by 90% of your friends which is why you’re getting 2 likes. When I learned this, my mind was blown!
So the lesson: don’t be boring! Put thought and effort into putting out purposeful content and it will absolutely start to pay off.
When to Post?!
I haven’t mastered this one yet, but I’m learning from other blogs about prime posting times on social media networks.
Check out this blog for information on prime posting times and how to attract more engagement by timing your content accordingly!
What you do want to note is that this will definitely vary depending on your audience (18-25 year olds tend to be on social media later on weeknights than 55-65 year olds, just as an example). You also want to think about the time zones of your audience if you have international friends and followers, and the content that you’re posting. Personally, if I wanted to do one big power post about how I help people create freedom in their lives to live every day like the weekend and chase after their dreams, I would save that for a Sunday night when most people are dreading waking up early the next day to drag themselves to work and sit in a cubicle for 8 hours. Again, just an example!
Engage More on Other Posts!
This one is really interesting. The way the algorithms work actually allows you to control your audience! If you want specific people to see your posts, engaging more on their profiles will bump your next posts to the top of their news feeds. Exciting, right? If you’re an entrepreneur then you’re probably thrilled to know that it’s not the people who like and comment on your posts that see them more, but rather the people who receive likes and comments from you!
This means you can choose who you want to view your content, go and interact with them (find recent posts they’ve made and genuinely comment and connect with them, don’t be fake!) and in turn they will start to see more of your posts. This is a win-win situation because not only do they see your content, but they will also feel more connected with you because you’ve been engaging with them!
What I do is create a custom list on Facebook with people I am prospecting in my business, and then make a point to click on the list once a day, and scroll through the list’s news feed which filters out all my other friends, and comment on as many posts as I can. It’s a great way to narrow down your audience to target people specifically without them knowing that’s the reason they’re seeing your content. They won’t have any idea you’ve added them to this list as it’s simply a way for you to organize your friends from your account.
I also have a list for my current team members in my business to make sure I set aside time to engage with them on social media without getting distracted by other posts on my feed!
Facebook algorithms are much more complex than what I’ve explained, and I’m sure there are many more hacks to get your posts bumped up to the top of people’s feeds, but these are some surefire ways to increase your engagement and start to master the art of personal branding on Facebook!
Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks. I’d love to hear them! I’m attending a business conference with Tony Robbins 🙌🏼 guest speaking this summer which has segments on social media so I’m always excited to learn more!
Now, once you’ve landed… where do you start? Some people like to research and plan their itineraries in advance, while others like to get there and figure it out as they go! If you’re the type of person who wants to be spontaneous and explore without too much planning, you may find yourself stumped for where to start once you’ve checked into your hotel and set out for the day. I usually start with a very basic Google search to learn more about the city/country, and read up on the top things to do and see, then search for deals and tickets for different excursions, tours, museum entries, etc.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 