Asking questions can be a great way to get engagement on your Facebook page.
People love to share their ideas, so content that asks people to state their preferences generally works a treat. This can be anything from asking people which version of your new logo they prefer, to whether you should stock the blue or red handbag in your Etsy shop to whether they like to have an iron provided when they stay in a holiday cottage.
I generally refer to this as ‘I know about this’ content.
This is one of four types of content that generate lots of engagement.
- I need to know this
- I know about that
- This is what I think
- I know how that feels
However there is an art to getting engagement on this kind of content and in this podcast episode I’ll show you how.
{Click on the player above to listen to the podcast episode and/or read on for a detailed overview. Scroll down to the bottom to read the show notes including all the links mentioned in this episode.}
If you want people to respond to ‘I know about this’ posts, you have to give them clear choices
e.g. A, B, C or D, yes/no, agree/disagree - or even ask them to respond with emojis.I generally refer to these as short/two tap answer posts.
Here is an example of a post I shared which attracted 115 comments (can’t see the image, click here). All respondents had to do was state whether they were interested in getting a copy of my social media engagement playbook when it was ready (with a ‘Y’ or ‘N’).
In this example, I asked for feedback on the artwork for an upcoming masterclass (which was available for members to buy) stating a preference of 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Not only do short/two tap answer posts make it super quick for people to engage, they don’t have to think too hard about what to say - which means they’re far more likely to respond.
Occasionally someone warns me that the Facebook/LinkedIn algorithm penalises content like this i.e. content that encourages short/two tap answers. I have no idea if this is true, but I actually think it’s pretty irrelevant. Once someone has responded to you, you can - and should - go back and ask them an additional question/encourage them to give you more information e.g ‘Interesting…why does that one appeal the most (if you don’t mind me asking’).
So it’s easy to turn a short/two tap answer posts into a conversation. And conversations are exactly what you should be aiming for with all your social media content.
I wouldn’t advise you to use short/two tap answer postsall the time -it’s definitely important to vary your content - but they can be a great tool to encourage engagement, particularly when you’re trying to boost the engagement in your page.
Do this one thing
Create a short ‘I know about this’ style Facebook post where you share a useful piece of content which encourages people to share their opinion on something.
Next, chivvy up your Facebook Engagement Tribe and get them commenting on your post. While no one truly knows how the algorithm works, many believe that comments made in the first 15 minutes of posting have the biggest impact (and that’s certainly been my experience) so get to work!
Finally, share your post in the Facebook group to get feedback from myself and others in the group (we have a dedicated thread for each day).
Take part in my 7 day Facebook challenge here
Join the Facebook Challenge group
Podcast shownotes
- How to take part in the Facebook page engagement challenge when it has finished (1:04).
- Why asking questions is a great way to get engagement on your Facebook page (2:37)
- How to create I know about that content for your Facebook page (3:10)
- How to create posts with short or two tap answers for your Facebook page (3:40)
- Why you should make it easy for people to respond to your Facebook posts (4:30)
- How to get engagement with your audience by using quick short tap answers (5:05)
- How to use short quick tap answer posts to create a buzz around a new product or service (5:55)
Previous Facebook Challenge Podcasts
[365] Day 1 Why your Facebook page isn’t getting enough engagement (and what to do about it) (podcast)
[366] Day 2 What to post on your Facebook page to get more engagement (podcast)
[367] Day 3 Why 'value' posts are not enough to get engagement on your Facebook page(podcast)
Resources
[329] What’s working on Facebook right now with Liz Melville (podcast)
[334] How to build a large audience without paid advertising with Callie Willows (podcast)
[352] How to sell in a Facebook Group without annoying your members (podcast)
[357] How to transform your Facebook group from ghost town to garden party (podcast)
[358] 13 Ideas for engaging social media posts (podcast)
[361] 15 post ideas for your Facebook group (podcast)
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