Everybody has a voice on social media, so why is it so hard for some businesses to get comments on their Facebook posts. For that matter why do they even want comments? Well, as social media marketers, the thing we want most is interaction. When someone is interacting, they are at the peak of engagement, meaning your message has been heard. So how do we get this interaction, and is it even more important than it seems?
Post after post on my amazing YMCA blog continues to receive some likes here and there, but my comment levels are next to none. What have I been doing wrong? What can I do differently to get a little back and forth with my followers? After doing a little research I found a few tips that I am hoping will turn things around. Asking questions is one easy way to increase interactivity. I could ask what the Y members’ favorite group exercise class is, and my followers will be able to contribute to the conversation without having to put too much thought into it. There are many different types of questions you can ask ranging from the sensational “Do you think the Beatles are over-rated?”, to the fun “You get one movie to watch for the rest of your life, what is it?”. Think of your target audience and gear your questions towards them.
Contests are another way I plan on increasing my comments number. I am going to be posting a picture of a jar of candy asking my followers to like my post and guess how many there are, the winner being the closest to the correct amount. This I hope will be a double whammy, getting me both likes and comments. The only downside is that in interactivity will be a short number comment rather than a conversation, but I need to start somewhere. Contests when done right, can increase traffic to your page.
Everyone likes to put in their two cents, so I hope to try crowd sourcing for answers. “Does anyone have any tips to help me stay motivated to get to the gym?” might be something I could post. Now my followers will have a safe forum to say what motivates them, thus increasing my interactivity. I will be using this technique often, because not only will it generate comments, it will also give me more insight to my followers.
Getting comments is important to spreading my message. Facebook uses an algorithm to determine what ends up where on your news feed. Facebook themselves said, “The goal of News Feed is to show you the stories that matter most to you. To do this, we use ranking to order stories based on how interesting we believe they are to you: specifically, whom you tend to interact with, and what kinds of content you tend to like and comment on.” The majority of people believe the ranking starts with shares, then comments, and finally likes with the lowest ranking. This is why when people comment on your posts, you are more likely to appear on their news feed. Cool, right?
Use these tips to help generate some comments for your page. Always remember your target audience when applying them. Do you have any other ways to get a conversation going on social media? Do you think it is worth the effort with a contest? Do you think the Beatles are over-rated? Please leave *ahem* a comment below and let me know what you think. Don’t forget to hit the share button below because gaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom; sharing it is the first step to humanity.