Here’s the deal, everybody and their mom (especially their mom) is on Facebook these days. It has become the ultimate place for people to connect with friends, family, and businesses that they love. And Facebook has allowed all of us to “connect” in so many different ways when we’re logged in.
The topic today is the famous Facebook post and how we can be effective at it. Many studio and gym owners have smartly taken to Facebook to connect with their families and fans and keep engaged no matter the time of year or what’s going on in the world. But could it be working better for you?
First and foremost
Like the number of ways to skin a cat, there are hundreds of ways to make effective Facebook posts.
If you stick to one thing, let it be this:
post more of what your audience likes
With the robust analytics that Facebook offers up to businesses, i.e., post clicks, likes, shares, etc., you should be able to tell in a couple of months exactly what your audience likes the most and when they are the most active. Channel those analytics and do more of what works, whatever that looks like for you, even against the “rules of good Facebook posting”.
If you want to take it a level deeper consider the following while you’re posting:
1. What is the goal of the post?
More often than not, it will fall into two buckets:
-
Engagement (I want my audience to watch this fun video, laugh, like it, and share it with their friends, so they have a good feeling about my business)
-
Conversion/Selling (I want my audience to click this specific link and sign-up for the class I am offering next week, so I get more business)
It’s a known rule of thumb that 80% of your posts should be in the engagement bucket, and 20% should be selling, so keep that in mind when planning out what you are posting. If you are only posting links trying to sell your audience something, they likely won’t respond how you want them to (although, some have argued that it doesn’t matter, as long as you follow the “first and foremost” section above).
2. Make your posts cut through the noise
Whether you are posting a video or an image, make it pretty. The amount of people and posts on Facebook account for a lot of scrolling and a lot of the same old content. Make sure your content cuts through the noise and makes a person stop scrolling.
Easy ways to do this- use bright colors as well as photos and videos of people (especially with audio).
You also want your copy to cut through the noise. I’m not saying raising your voices with this many exclamation points !!!!!!!!!! will make your post worth reading, but using short, choppy, witty, and easy to understand copy, will help with engagement.
Love this idea but don’t have a designer on staff to help with post creation? Check out these free and easy tools to create in no time.
3. Have a clear call to action or conversion point
Paralysis by analysis is a real thing, folks. Even in social media posts. Oftentimes, people will lose track of posting to social media, and then do one really, really, really, long post that has two questions, three mandatory steps someone needs to take, and an optional survey to boot. While it seems like an efficient way to get all of your information out there at once, make sure you have ONE single call to action on your posts.
“Hi everyone, summer figure skating camp begins in two weeks, register your child today!”
It’s clear, easy to understand, and will drive people to your registration page.
Other single call to action options are:
- Share this post for a chance to win
- Take my poll so I know which sport you like best
- Answer this survey so I can better assist you
All effective calls to action for your posts. (Not to mention, great engagement tactics)
4. Tag and Hashtag
Facebook's algorithm houses a very important metric that affects the success of your post…. Reach. The simplest way to increase your reach on Facebook is tagging and hashtagging.
If you have athletes or families in your photos and videos make sure to tag them. If you have sponsors or partners that are helping you run an event, tag them. And of course, depending on the topic you are posting about search for relevant hashtags to add.
These together will help more people see your posts, and ultimately engage with you.
5. Remember the “first and foremost”
Find what works for YOU and stick with it :)
Good luck!
About Andie Ostrowski
Andie Ostrowski is a content contributor for NBC Sports Next's GoMotion brand. She graduated with a marketing degree from the University of North Dakota, where she played Division 1 soccer and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Today, Andie volunteers as a student mentor in conjunction with the Pancratz Business School Mentor Program.