The question of how to improve engagement rates on various social networks is something of a holy grail for marketers - thanks to the various algorithms, perhaps it is even Pandora's box. But today we're shedding some light on the subject by answering the question of how to improve engagement rates on Facebook.
The algorithm on Facebook, as on any platform, is a difficult phenomenon to understand, about which the networks themselves stay mostly silent. Most recently, the TikTok algorithm has been celebrated for its novelty, but of course the Chinese company, which is part of ByteDance, does not reveal how exactly the algorithm works.
Read on the Kolsquare blog:
In general, the algorithm is an AI that controls which content is displayed when and for which users. This is influenced by various factors and is personalized for everyone. Over the years, Facebook has often updated and improved its algorithm. Most recently, the company focused on rating and credibility of news articles to reduce fake news on the platform and keep Facebook seen and used as a source for news, according to Sprout Social.
In the beginning, it was Likes that influenced it – today, it’s not so simple. The following four elements in particular will influence the algorithm on Facebook in 2022: What content will be shared? On Facebook, this includes all posts by people and all posts by pages that a profile follows as well as all posts in groups that a profile has joined. After this inventory, the AI evaluates the relevance of each piece of content based on signals, such as the type and frequency of interactions or the time of publication. That’s why we’re talking about how to improve engagement rates on Facebook so you can make the algorithm work for you.
But first, the two other factors that influence the algorithm are the following: Based on the signals just mentioned, the AI calculates the probability with which profiles will interact with the displayed content. Accordingly, the relevance of the respective posts is then evaluated.
Facebook emphasizes the importance of authentic content and authentic interaction and thus fights against the manipulation of the algorithm through engagement bait and spamming tactics.
Image via Sprout Social
Let’s move on to the announced strategies on how to increase your engagement rate organically and thus increase your chances of appearing in your target audience’s feeds on Facebook.
The engagement rate on Facebook is the total number of likes, comments, shares, and clicks a post gets. Accordingly, the engagement rate generally indicates how successful your campaign is, as a high engagement rate indicates how many people have interacted with the content and thus with your brand.
Even though Facebook is no longer growing as rapidly as TikTok, the number of monthly active Facebook users continues to rise. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 2.96 billion people, 30,000 more, using the platform according to Statista. Consequently, you can still reach many potential sellers through marketing on Facebook.
As said, it’s not clear which factors really determine the algorithm. However, these tips are a successful strategy to increase the engagement rate on the social network. Let’s begin:
That you should pay attention to the time when you publish your posts is not news. If you post when your target audience is online, you will immediately get a lot of visibility in a very natural way, which the algorithm will in turn reward you for. Thus, to figure out which schedule is best for you to follow, Facebook helps you with its built-in analytics. This way you can easily create a posting calendar.
Speaking of analytics – these are not only important to create a schedule but also, of course, to find out which content works well and which doesn’t. Therefore, learn from your successes and your mistakes. This may not always guarantee a high engagement rate, but spotting trends and drawing conclusions is advisable. And sometimes content goes viral, which no one can anticipate.
Hence, keep an eye on successful postings and try to identify commonalities. In doing so, you can always experiment as well as find out what your target audience responds to.
Reply to comments, return the attention and the like. Increasing engagement rates is not a one-time thing, so a single action is not enough. It’s about consistency and persistence, as always. Most users will be happy to see their favorite brand respond to their questions and comments, so you can score points and keep consumers loyal to you and your brand in the long run.
Video as a format is taking social networks by storm, and it also performs best on Facebook in terms of reach and engagement. A study by BuzzSumo showed that “videos now receive twice as much engagement on average as other post formats.” Also, be sure to upload videos directly to Facebook, experiment with square videos, and add descriptions.
In the wake of video’s popularity, don’t forget about live streams because live videos will get you even more engagement:
Graphic via Asiapac digital
Calls to Action (CTA), promo codes and giveaways are always a good strategy to get your audience to interact with your content. Raffles in particular continue to do well on the platform belonging to Meta.
The easiest way for a CTA is to ask a question and then respond to your community’s answers according to the third tip. Almost everyone likes to share their opinion and a lively discussion under a post can have an extremely positive effect on the engagement rate and thus on the algorithm.
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