Facebook has over 800 million daily users.
As an entrepreneur, you have a fantastic opportunity to leverage it by sharing your story, building business, and having fun keeping up with friends and family – all in one place!
You visit Facebook before you go to meet, hire, or date someone, so it is pretty safe to assume they are doing the same. Your personal brand is represented in each and every post you make. So how do you put your best authentic self out there for the world to get to know you? How do you engage on the worlds biggest social network to attract ideal clients and build your business?
Here are 11 tips to increase your Facebook engagement,
1. Fill out your “about me” section
I have lost count of how many times I’ve gone to Facebook to find an email or phone number of a “friend” and had to do a web search. Ugh. (Yes, you can send a private message on Facebook, but many people never check that inbox!) SO FILL IT OUT.
Pretend you are a potential customer visiting your profile to find out more about you. Is your contact info filled out? Do you have your current business listed and connected to that business page?
2. Create lists… and USE THEM!
Stop the madness of wading through the epic news feed every time you visit Facebook and laser focus on the people you really want to engage with. Creating lists allows you to filter the Facebook stream. This tip alone will save you HOURS of time every month.
Some suggested list names:
- Key Champions
- Personal Friends
- Family
- Clients
- Prospects
- Colleagues
- Competition
- Influencers* (details in #7)
Here is the direct resource to create lists: facebook.com/bookmarks/lists
3. Pay attention to your tone
Just make sure you are not a Pollyanna or Eeyore.
Review your last 11 posts. What is the tone? Do they represent you? Are you only posting about unicorns and rainbows, or complaining about your hard knock life? Too much of either isn’t ideal. Ask yourself – would I want to work with the person represented here? Adjust, as needed.
4. Don’t just preach… be visual.
People want to be inspired to work with you. The most efficient way to do that is to share your personal brand and story VISUALLY.
There are 3 elements to consider:
Sharing Core Values
If adventure is a core value, be sure to post photos of your travels or weekend hikes. If family is, post pics of the soccer game, ballet recitals, game night, etc.
Share Your Passions
Posting photos of things you love to do will definitely attract ideal clients. You’ll become a magnet for those who share your passions and you can infuse them into your business process! Passionate about wine? Your closing gifts become wine you blend during the annual client soiree you host at the local winery your clients own. Get the idea?
Share Your Purpose
If your purpose is to inspire greatness in others, share uplifting quotes. If it’s teaching, share posts to educate others. Love connecting people? Post photos of you connecting friends in real life, or post introductions on their timeline where others can see them.
5. Engage with purpose
Engaging with purpose and being memorable involves connecting and igniting emotion in others. Leave a little “hello” on a friend’s timeline or post an article or quote that reminds you of him/her. Make it a habit to connect, like this, with 3+ people a day. Start doing this for people on your Key Champions list (#2) and then branch out!
6. Check your “OTHER” messages
If someone isn’t friends with you, they may want (or be forced) to send you a direct message. The problem is, these usually end up in your OTHER inbox. Add a reminder to your calendar to check it periodically.
You will find interesting personal notes in there too. On those days you need a good chuckle, or boost, popping in here is always a good option.
7. Follow influencers
Do you have someone you admire, but are not close enough to be “friends”? These could be local leaders, business owners, authors, etc. You can follow their public status’, like their business page, and add them to your “influencer” list. This allows you to keep up to date and engaged, without being directly connected.
8. Create a Facebook group
This is an incredible way to build community and business for yourself and others. My business focuses on women entrepreneurs and brands that serve them, so I created a group for “power women”. There are hundreds in this community who engage. They are encouraged to share their own blog posts, things that inspire, or topics that get them fired up. To get a group rolling, here are some great activities to infuse:
- Ask Questions: Not sure what they want to talk about – ask them!
- Host and Post Events: whether you are hosting a virtual webinar, Google Hangout, or an in person happy hour – you can use the group to rally attendance.
- Encourage Introductions: ask everyone to share who they are, what they are passionate about, their biz, etc. You can spark conversations/connections by sharing details of each member when they join.
9. Progressive power of Facebook engagement
Tap into the progressive power.
Think about how it feels when YOU post an update and wait for the first LIKE. When it happens you feel good. That is amplified when someone makes a COMMENT and it brings joy when someone SHARES your post. So, do that for someone else – every single day.
10. Make your mark
Always add a little extra to delight your world, make people feel special, and leave a mark they won’t easily forget!
Sharing a quote? Take time and make a visual with “your style”. Use an app like Instaquote to create something on the go, or use Canva.com to create your own Facebook quote template. In other words, don’t be boring. If you are going to post something that represents #4, make it memorable.
11. Review. Refine. Repeat.
Now that are posting with purpose, make sure you have a goal in mind. These are the three main post types and the effect of each:
- Status Updates = Comments
- Links = Click Through (use a service like bit.ly or ow.ly to create a track-able URL)
- Photo/Video = Likes & Shares
Now, not every update you post on Facebook needs to be tracked. However, paying attention to engagement on posts related to sharing your values, passions, purpose, and blog will help make your time more impactful. Review what type of posts sparks the most engagement; then do more of those!
In a nutshell
A bit of focus, planning, and sharing your story will fire up your Facebook engagement to another level and help you achieve your goals… all while being authentically you!
Do you have something you do on Facebook to elevate your engagement or accelerate your entrepreneurial goals?
Author bio: Debra Trappen is the Chief Experience Creator of d11 consulting. She helps growth-minded entrepreneurs SHINE online by firing up their personal and business brands. Follow Debra on Twitter @debra11.