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If you are a social media manager, coming up with new, engaging posts for your Facebook group or page can be a struggle.
In fact, nearly 40% of the marketers we surveyed said they post at least once a day. That’s a lot of new content to create.
On top of that, 54.3% of them said engagement was their primary metric for Facebook.
So, how can you create content on a daily basis that is highly engaging? We asked 46 marketers for advice. As a result, we got 11 different ideas to help you create more engaging content on Facebook at scale.
Let’s dive in.
There are two post formats that tend to get more engagement on Facebook. One of these formats is photos.
Melissa Haws of The Furnace Outlet explains how content with images helps you boost engagement on Facebook, “One of the most effective ways to boost your Facebook post’s engagement is to post content with images or short videos. Posts with images have higher engagement rates than posts without them, and posts with videos get six times the amount of engagement than posts with images. This can help boost your content to larger audiences and more potential customers.”
However, “Don’t focus all of your content on one type of post however, remember to shake it up and use lots of different types of content in your social media marketing strategy.”
Krissy Selda of VerticalScope Inc. recommends, “Tag products in your photos, if you have a commerce shop. This way you get engagement on both your photos and in your shop.”
Editor’s Note: Want to quickly see what posts are performing best? Use this Facebook Page Dashboard.
The other format with higher engagement rates is videos.
“One of the best ways to increase engagement is by posting interactive video content and giving updates to the audience,” says Andrea Boyd of Tailored Space. “The updates can have anything from the latest news, achievements, market trends, etc. This certainly increases engagement.” If you’re not sure how to measure the engagement rate of your videos, this social media dashboard software can help.
Abby Ha of WellPCB says, “Facebook loves video. In fact, they’re getting ready to show more video in your news feed. To get started, use a smartphone to record videos of your products and packaging. If you can’t show off your products, use photos of them instead. At the end of the post, ask people to comment with a photo of their own. The idea is for people to tag their friends, which ends up with new people seeing the post.”
Alayna Okerlund of BestCompany.com adds, “From my experience, if you want to get more engagement on a Facebook post, video is one of the best things you can post. Video catches the eye, is more appealing to younger demographics, and is on the rise across most, if not all, of the popular social media platforms used today. Videos are entertaining and, paired with the right caption, can really increase conversions.
I also think video posts on Facebook tend to have a longer shelf life than traditional posts. I recommend that you start small and build your way up if you want to try creating and posting videos on Facebook. You can try posting video stories, live videos, and regular post videos. There’s really not a limit to what you can test and do with video at this point.”
Editor’s Note: Want to see what videos perform the best? Use this Facebook Essentials – Measuring Page Video Dashboard to see when people watch your videos.
Related: 16 Ways for Improving Facebook Video Watch Time for Every Video You Promote
If you are not sure how to get started producing videos, Jonathan Aufray of Growth Hackers Company recommends, “We share a lot of different types of content for our clients and by analyzing the data, we found out that videos (High-quality, insightful and interesting videos of course) get higher engagement than images and plain-text posts. So, start creating videos about your products, your services, your team, your facilities, etc.
A great way to come up with video content is by analyzing your blog posts that get the most visitors and repurpose those articles by creating a short video about it.”
Sam Sprague of Sprague Media adds, “One Facebook post idea that we recommend to all out clients, and that is the most underutilized, is a quick ‘thank you’ video. Should be less than 15 seconds and is a video of you thanking customers for purchasing. If they purchased, make a video about how long until the product ordered should arrive (5-7 business days). And if they need anything or have any questions, who/where to reach out to. THIS post increases retention, helps build the value of your brand in your customers’ eyes, and frankly, we use this type of post in our ads, targeting those who just purchased – and it drives more sales!”
Related: 6 Simple Steps for Turning Facebook Fans into Customers
Regardless of post format, inspirational quotes tend to perform well on Facebook.
“It’s important to spread good cheer on Facebook,” says Janice Wald of Mostly Blogging. “Too many people are negative and critical. Especially during COVID-19, people vent about their concerns on their Facebook wall. Others don’t know how to respond and are saddened. On the other hand, if you post positivity and happy news and sentiments, people will be cheered up and inspired to share your Facebook posts so others get cheer as well. I know of group administrators that require their members to post inspirational quotes so that people can find happiness during dark times on Facebook. For further cheer, you can post beautiful graphics to accompany the inspirational quotes.”
Jonathan Sanchez of Parent Portfolio adds, “Inspiration quotes have given me more engagement on my Facebook page than posts to articles. Quotes are short and easy to read. The quotes should be relatable that speak to a certain niche.”
Just because you might be posting on your business page or group doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be authentic and relatable. That’s where storytelling comes in.
“Post something that tells a story about yourself – show the REAL you, not a polished figure,” says Michael Potorti of Aurelius Resources. “It could be anything that happened to you that was amusing – something your kids or dog did, maybe some flowers you planted that just started budding because of spring, etc. People come to Facebook to be entertained and need to relate to you because you are just like them.”
Jessica Ayre of Text Request adds, “Consumers want to view content that is relatable and authentic to them. With that being said, I recommend creating posts with people. People are more inclined to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes and to get a feel of your company culture, so next time you go out for a team lunch, snap a photo and caption it with something fun. You could even snap photos of coworkers at their desks to help your audience put a face to the people of your company. Relatable posts are a great way to grab people’s attention and keep it, ultimately helping increase your engagement.”
For example, Alice Anderson of Mommy to Mom says, “I always get the most engagement on Facebook when I share personal stories that make people laugh. I usually just post a ridiculous conversation that I had with one of my kids. Parents love reading things that are funny and relatable!”
If the thought of sharing personal stories is scary, another way to be more relatable without sharing the personal stuff is behind-the-scenes content.
“One of the best post styles I have seen work well time and time again across multiple types of my client’s Facebook pages is a “behind the scenes” post,” says Emily Giblin of EKOH Marketing. “Followers are naturally curious about how things work and when you give them a peek into your world, they are able to relate to the elements of your business that make you human.”
Elizabeth Weatherby of A.H. Management adds, “This would be a post to give users a look into the day-to-day of your business, something that represents your business and brand values. This could be a post of someone at work doing something, interactions between coworkers, or the CEO doing something special. Personal and authentic facebook posts have a great chance of increasing engagement among users!”
Curated round-up posts are another way to increase engagement on Facebook.
“This is where Social Media can really learn from SEO,” says Sasha Matviienko of growth360. “Expert round-up posts generate a huge amount of engagement and shares, every time. This is an ethical way to drive engagements for your Social Media posts, which will have an impact on Social Media, SEO, and will drive general brand awareness (from the audience who participates in your post to the audience subscribed to the post participants).”
Related: The Creative Ways Marketers Are Increasing Facebook Organic Reach
From National Puppy Day to Taco Tuesday, there are no shortage of fun holiday or theme days. This can make fun and engaging Facebook posts.
“Social media is intended to be social,” says Datis Mohsenipour of HeyOrca. “Your posts shouldn’t always be about the products or services you sell. Have a little fun, show off your personality, and engage your audience with Hashtag Holiday posts.
You can look for Holiday Hashtags that relate to your services and tie them back to the brand, or you could simply use Holiday Hashtags to help your audience get to know you and your team.
For example, on National Puppy Day we created a Facebook post that featured images of our team’s doggos.
This had nothing to do with our brand, but people ate it up.”
If you are comfortable in front of the camera, going live on Facebook is still an effective way to increase engagement.
Carma Levene of Carma The Social Chameleon says, “Facebook Live -Not only does it let your audience get to know you in an authentic way, but it’s also algorithm friendly! And I don’t mean the “I just thought I’d go live and tell you my latest thought about xzy” I’m referring to a Facebook Live that showcases what you do, or the way you do it that’s had some thought into the pre-production, a steady hand (no shaky selfies here please!) and a structure that makes sense to the audience, tells a story and invites them to connect via the live-chat.”
You don’t have to create all of the content yourself. You can crowdsource content from your fans and customers.
For example, Karolina Cala of Levitex says, “Ask your audience to post the flag of where they’re from. This obviously works particularly well if your audience is in the slightest bit international, but in general, most people really like ‘representing’ their country on what they feel is a global space (the internet).”
Sometimes, the most engaging posts on Facebook are simple questions.
“To increase engagements on Facebook share a story or ask a question that people have a strong opinion about,” says Krista Neher of Boot Camp Digital Publishing. “It could be something simple like ‘where is the best burger in the city?’ or based on their opinion linked to your business. An accountant could ask ‘do you think the IRS should extend the tax deadline this year?’ Finding tension points where people can easily share their point of view drives engagement. Remember not to be too controversial if it doesn’t align with your business.”
Or, Nikola Roza of Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined adds, Simply putting up an image post and within the image should be a niche-relevant question.
Why does this work so well?
Its because when a brand asks a question to their followers, it shows they respect their opinion. It also shows they aren’t afraid to source new ideas outside of the company.
Finally, brands are not the only ones who love engagement. Users do too.
If they’re currently not engaging with your brand it’s not because it’s their conscious decision. It’s just that you haven’t provoked them enough.”
If you are still struggling with post ideas, creating a challenge or quiz is a fantastic way to get more fans engaging with your brand.
“One Facebook post idea I’d recommend to others for increasing engagement is an interactive quiz,” says Anthony Martin of Choice Mutual. “Quizzes perform well on social media for two main reasons.
Lily Ugbaja of Mombabyheart adds, “This works because:
Whatever it is, knowing there is a win at the end of the day would make more people participate thereby leading to better engagement and eventually more sales. Most who join in would, more often than not, translate into leads while winners become automatic brand ambassadors.
In sum, these are a handful of ideas you can use to increase engagement on Facebook. Like with anything in social media marketing, we encourage you to experiment with different types of posts and formats, measure their performance using a social media dashboard and make adjustments accordingly.
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