After doing more research, I started to feel like my last post on this subject was inadequate. Here is an updated list of tips for generating facebook engagement:
1. Call To Action
Always mention what you want them to do, “Be sure to share this post with your friends.”
2. Questions
Including “Captions This Picture” or fill in the blank. The more emotion your question elicits, the more response it will get.
3. Links, but Avoid Bit.ly
Links that get people back onto your facebook page should be used liberally, inside and outside of facebook. Short links are better than “shortened” links because they ad context and are more likely to be clicked.
4. Emoticons
Emoticons are the body language of text. I know they make some of us want to puke, but they are a necessity.
5. 10 Likes
You need 10 ringers to like everything you post. After that, their ranking goes up by as much as 20%.
6. Facebook Chat
There are facebook apps for this now, but in the near future facebook will have nested comments. Again, any excuse to get people back to your page will keep your posts prominent in their own news feeds.
7. 80 Characters or Less
Engagement goes down the lengthier the post.
8. 7 Posts a Week, 2 a Day Max
You get diminishing returns after each.
9. Include an Image
Videos are too much of a commitment for mobile users. Text alone has a lower ranking.
10. Only Promote the Big Stuff
Promoting posts (with money) has the most impact with posts that are already popular or ones that you think will be popular. Unlike the previous 9 items, this comes from my own anecdotal evidence.
11. Post on the Weekends
In my last post, I said post during peak facebook usage time. What I failed to account for was that a lot of that peak usages comes from competing brands trying to promote their own stuff.