I don’t know about you, but creating compelling Facebook posts can be a right chore at times.

Compared straightforward nature of a tweet, they seem like a mammoth undertaking – finding good photos, interesting content, good times to post.

Eurgh.

Creating great Facebook posts requires a great deal of creativity to capture your reader’s imagination.  However, that initial spark of creativity only gets you so far.

You need to be able to extract as much value from that drop of creativity as possible. Not milking the cow dry as such, but following simple rules that spur your audience into action.

Maybe you’re thinking what the flippin’ heck I’m blabbing on about. So let’s get stuck right into it. Include all the below to see your results from Facebook soar!

#1 Develop a Facebook Strategy

A concise Facebook strategy that can be easily implemented and followed accordingly will give focus to your Facebook campaign. Whenever you post, always evaluate whether it will help you get closer to your aim.

• Increased brand awareness. Check the number of people your posts are reaching or the number of likes. Aim for a specific figure (100 likes per month for example).

• Lead generation. By integrating email opt-in within your posts (keep reading to find out how), people interested in your product can sign up for email. You can then use email marketing strategies to drive sales at a later date.

• Improve engagement. Engagement is the lifeblood of your page. Likes mean little if your audience doesn’t interact with your page. Use either the ‘People Talking About This’ number or check individual post engagement figures.

• Make Sales. Track your sales via Google Analytics and conversions. Be wary of encouraging sales too much within your posts – keep at most 1 in 5 posts.

Keep your targets specific and aim for certain numbers within a certain time frame. This will allow you to monitor your performance over time and whether your campaign is doing well or not.

#2 Stick with Photo Posts (But Experiment Too!)

Which types of your posts currently do the best?

Facebook is a predominately visual platform, thus naturally lending itself to photo posts. For most pages, pictures get the most interaction because they appear more prominently within the newsfeed.

To really hit home a strong message, try placing your text within your post. Whether an inspirational quote or funny caption, your audience will spot it far more easily with a higher chance of engaging with it in some way.

However, never be afraid to test new post types. If videos, links or general status updates start doing well, Facebook’s algorithm will look favourably on these (previously Edgerank) and will have a higher chance of featuring within your audience’s newsfeed.

If in doubt, stick with photo posts though.

#3 Utilise Great Memes

Making your posts highly shareable means producing content that has good social value. Memes are an excellent way to get some tongue-in-cheeky humour onto your page.

Whether a meme sticks on the internet is almost random in nature and and starting a completely new one can be tough. The internet can be a very random place!  So start by jumping on board with existing memes, which you can find at:

• Reddit
• ICanHasCheeseburger
• LiveLeak
• QuickMeme
• 4chan

Paying attention to pop culture is essential. Memes can die down very quickly, allowing only a short time frame to utilise effectively.

However, also draw up a list of existing memes that relate closely with your business and latch onto their success.

If you’re confident enough and understand your market sufficiently, try using MemeCreator or QuickMeme to create your own captions or even add your own images.

#4 Push Your Audience’s Hot Buttons

I said earlier and I’ll say it again – engagement is the life and soul of your Facebook Page.

The most engaging posts are the ones that provoke an emotional reaction. Not necessarily a bad one, but one that they feel they must act on. Whether you make your audience laugh or cry, make them happy or sad, or inspire or teach, make your posts something to remember.

Your photo should convey much of that message but your writing is the chance to add the icing to the cake. Keep it short – experts say to keep it less than 80 characters otherwise your audience will lose interest.

However, don’t discount longer posts. They may be the exact thing you need if you’re planning on using some storytelling within your posts.

#5 Clear, Capitalised Call-To-Actions

Some may disagree, but it cannot be argued that pages that utilise call to actions to share, like and comment have benefited from it with improved engagement and reach.

Your Facebook page is all about getting people to engage with you…

So why not ask them?

Dan Zarella did some research back last year that proved call-to-actions were just as effective on Facebook as any other platform.

Here are his results.

As you can see, practically all forms of engagement improve when adding any of the 3 CTAs.

Now you may think this is a somewhat cheap trick to get people to reaction to your content. But the Facebook newsfeed is a crowded place these days. Any tool to make your posts more visible is practically necessary – especially as average reach is only 16% for most pages!

Remember to CAPITALISE your call-to-actions so they stand out even further.

The best method to integrate these seamlessly into your posts (because a standalone LIKE probably won’t cut it) is to give readers a clear reason why they should.

Please click LIKE if you agree with _______!

Please SHARE to raise awareness of _______!

You get the picture.

Consider placing these call-to-actions with your photos too. Your writing can often be overlooked so you have another chance at grabbing your audiences’ attention and make them take action.

Some good manners also go a long way – please and thank you children!

#6 Subtle Email Signups & Sales Pitches

Depending on your strategy, you may want to put a heavier focus on one or the other.

Signing your audience up via email is a great way to start getting them through the sales funnel.

Email is significantly better platform for driving sales. Customers expect sales pitches through their email and are much more tolerant to them. In contrast, Facebook was created to be social, not for sales pitches. That’s a bad environment to pitch at.

4.16% conversions are made through email compared to just 0.48% through social media. (Thanks TheMarketingBit!)

So getting your fans on your email list is vital to ‘warm’ your prospects up for a sale.

A simple CLICK >> <link> is suitable. But think of it this way…

Are you stimulating any kind of curiosity with this? Of course not! Give a snappy, compelling reason for them to do so.

• Can you give them content or information not available elsewhere?

• Save them time by compiling the best news within your industry?

• Save them money with exclusive offers and promotions?

An example you could take from could be this:

★WANT WEEKLY TIPS ON _____ DELIVERED TO YOUR DESK? ★
Click Here ~► <link>

That should then lead to a landing page, where you can go into further detail about what they can expect from you and spur them to join your email list and community.

Need help creating your landing pages? Start by checking out these great pieces from QuickSprout and ScaleMyBusiness.

If you’re pushing for sales, follow the exact same rules. Give them a compelling reason to make that purchase and ensure the link goes straight to your product page.

#7 Keep the Conversation Going

Once your post has gone out, that’s not the end of it. Especially when you starting out, your posts will have limited reach. So engage with anyone you can in the comments section to keep your post alive.

By provoking discussion, you not only get an interested reader but a boost when it comes to the Facebook algorithm. One of the key factors in appearing on your audience’s newsfeed is the engagement of the post.

More comments = better Facebook algorithm score = longer visibility and further reach.

Be sure to ask many questions as possible and encourage as much opinion as possible. Keep the comments relatable to the reader and he or she will continue to chat!

Over to you…

Now you have a load of tools to go and post some super successful posts.

But remember – you need that spark. Wonderful structured posts been ‘naff all if your message is boring.

Can you see value within your Facebook page? Anything other posts you have encountered that has worked wonders for you?

Let us know in the comments!

Image credit: Hubspot, ToonPool & Glogster

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