What works on Facebook these days?

I've noticed that the organic reach can be increased if you follow few simple steps.
The main trend is... COLLABORATION.

1/ SHARE A POPULAR PHOTO/POST FROM A PAGE WITH BIG AUDIENCE

Not long ago, it didn't really matter if you published your own photo or shared somebody else's. But now, from my experience, popular photos from popular pages GET BIGGER REACH.

FB also changed the way it displays shared posts. Now, it looks more like a 'friendly handshake', before it looked like a 'slap in a face'. You get the idea...

2/ CREATE SHARING CIRCLES

I know it sounds odd to talk about circles on FB, but the idea is - collaborate with business, tag them and share their content, providing they share yours. Make sure this is a win/win situation (eg. kids product sharing what's on for families sharing healthy tips on nutrition).

3/ PROMOTE CONTENT WITH GIVEAWAYS

It looks like you can benefit from a shared audience on FB, so collaborate on giveaways, share and promote it.



What is the weakest link I've encountered?

As much as it sounds silly, many business still haven't secured their FB user name, meaning that if you want to mention them in your post, it's a real struggle. Also, don't forget to make it a reasonable one, especially if your regular business name is long.



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How to get more engagement on Facebook?

The more time you spend figuring out how to get more engagement on FB, the less time you actually have to engage your audience.

Post fresh content daily?

Yes and no. I wouldn't recommend it to all FB pages. You might be better off with 3 a week and boost the best updates with highest virality/engagement

Post more updates a day?

Rarely. If you do so, make sure you don't post them one after another. Some people receive 'notifications' and if they see 5 of them in a row, they'll probably be slightly discouraged to click on any of them.

Use a third party scheduling?

Again, it depends. Just make sure you know the app you're using (and timezones). I came across some posts that were published via third party app and the link was broken (so I wasn't able to 'get' to that post).

Secret tip?

Short videos via YouTube. Don't forget to create a playlist with related videos first, then share the video. If people watch until the end and are 'hungry' for more, you don't miss your chance because another video starts playing straight away.

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Outstanding examples of marketing with Facebook

Check out WINNERS OF FACEBOOK STUDIO AWARDS 2012.

Find out the best creative Facebook professionals:

• Is the work social? Are people and social interactions at the core of the idea?
• Does the work seize the creative opportunities of using Facebook? Do your Page posts have killer copy and great photography? Are you creating content that makes the Facebook experience better?
• Does it scale? Is it easy for people to interact with and share your content? Are you using Facebook marketing products to extend the reach of your message?
• Did the work drive business results? Did you deepen relationships with customers, increase sales and drive word of mouth at scale?

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