I Know the Secrets to Increasing Your Facebook & Blog Engagement by 275%!

Yeah, right!  I thought to myself as I read the article headline.  Is increasing by 275% even possible?  I'm such the skeptic when it comes to promises like that.  Doesn't it seem like if it was that easy everybody would be doing it already?

Hello all!  It's Cara Taylor from Creative Playground!  I'm here again to share with you all these "secrets" to mainly increasing your Facebook engagement.  But most bloggers have both and you'll see most of what I'm going to share with you will relate to both.

I was so captivated by that initial article title, that it instantly turned into a mini-research project.  I'll be honest (and I shouldn't be)  my Facebook page is awful.  Friends, I'm the type of person that really needs to perfect one thing first before moving onto another.  I am a recently new blogger, so that's where my main focus is right now.  But, as you'll read the information I share with you, it relates to your blogs too!  I admit my Facebook needs major help (it would help if I actually helped it) so it wasn't a loss of my precious teacher time to find out more about raising social media engagement.  Isn't that really all of our goals as Bloggers and Facebookers?  We all want our readers to hit the "thumbs-up" button, right?

So I started by simply Googling Facebook Engagement.  A gazillion things popped up, so I knew I had hit the mother load. The article I mentioned above?  That was one of the first searches I did and it actually was a great article.  I found many more and this, my friends, are my

Before I start with number 7, let's think about WHY social media engagement, specifically on Facebook, is so important.   Where do you think on Facebook is the place most readers "hang out?"  If you said the news feed, you were correct!  Big fat star on your forehead!  (I tell my kids that all the time; they think it's so funny.)  Yes, the news feed; in fact, 40% of the time spent on Facebook is on the person's news feed.  So think about this...

If you increase your Facebook engagement (i.e., the amount of fans engaging with your page), you're directly increasing the chances of your content showing up in peoples' news feeds.  If people are viewing their news feeds 40% of the time, this will boost your visibility.  This will help your overall engagement.  Do you know that over 699 MILLION people log on to Facebook each day?  I know, right?  That's a lot of engagement we could be getting on our pages!

  

So let's get some engagement!  I thought Number 7 was a no brainer, but I read both sides on this one actually.  The time of day you post on Facebook.  Does it really matter?

 Research shows that most Facebook "Shares" happen at 1:00 pm daily.  The most Facebook actual "Clicks" happen around 3:00 pm.  So I guess it's safe to say that anytime between then would be golden!  One researcher brought up the point that most people ACTUALLY post info on their pages during the WORST time, which is during prime news times on Facebook, like 6:00 and 11:00 pm.  We do this because we think more people will be on the computer at that time, but in reality we're all wrong.  So shoot for between 1:00 - 3:00 pm, if possible.  Ah, heck.  Just do it while you're giving the kids' their spelling test.  

Number 6 makes a lot of sense...  Researchers have done studies to determine what topics are most "shared" on Facebook and the most "shareable" title words for posts.  

When I first read this, number 1 actually shocked me!  Sex was the most shared topic?  Then all of a sudden (true story), my SEVEN year old son walks up behind me at the computer and reads the infographic above that I was making.  At that moment, being the teacher that I am, I actually forgot that kids go to school to learn how to read.

"Hee, hee, hee, chuckle, chuckle...Mommy?"

Still oblivious, I answer, "Yes?"

"Why do most people want to read about Sex on Facebook? 

 I personally think Food and TV are much more fun to read about then Sex."

Let me stop here...Yes, my son actually talks like that.  He has Autism (Asperger's Syndrome).  Kids with Aspergers sometimes tend to sound like little professors because they are very smart and have large vocabularies.

I think my eyes actually popped out of their sockets, and my teeth were on the floor.

Slightly startled, I turn from typing and look at him:

"Garyn, do you know what sex is?"

"Yup."

Ok, do I ask or not ask?  OMGosh, he's only seven.  His knowledge of sex can't be that comprehensive.  What the heck, let's ask.

"So Garyn, what is sex?" (I now so wish I had a tape recorder at this very moment.)

"Well, it's kind of like pizza."

"Huh?  In what way?"

"Well, Mommy, a cheese pizza is like a naked man.  He only has cheese on his pizza and nothing else.  Just like a naked man."

I'm still not getting where's he's going with this?

"And Mommy, I'm surprised you don't know this but, a pepperoni pizza is like a naked woman.

You know the pepperonis kind of look like those dark circles on a woman's"

SSSSTTTTOOOOOPPPPPPP RIGHT THERE!

and my hand goes over his mouth faster that you can say pepperoni with extra cheese!

As a Mom, I was shocked he knew that already.  

But you know, as I think about it now?  

As a Teacher, I'm proud of him for making that kind of literary connection.  My son can already make Text-to-I'm-Not-Sure-in-This-Case connection.  I'll have to write his Teacher a Thank You note tomorrow.  That's my boy!

These seem appropriate at this very moment!  Number 5 and 4 are all about photos, graphics, and images.  First of all, on Facebook you need to make sure that each time you post, you include a picture, graphic, something visual for the reader to look at and connect with the point you're trying to make.  Listen to these stats:

Posts with photos get:

53% more likes,

 104% more comments,

and 84% more click-throughs!

What?  If you haven't already, now is the time to invest in some kind of picture-taking device and brush up on your photo taking skills!  

But don't just take any kind of photos... There's a set of characteristics that make the perfect Facebook and Blog picture that you must know to get the readers to stop on your post while skimming their news feeds!

But, wait there's MORE!  

I've only started my friends, as I still have to reveal the Top 3 Ways to Engage Your Social Media Readers!  I found a blogger that takes awesome photos to draw in her readers; I just have to show you her pictures of what she did with the space under her stairs!  

Also, there are three words that EVERY Facebooker and Blogger must know to make that lasting impact on their readers and they will drastically increase their engagement!

Unfortunately, I've used up a lot of my space and I don't want to keep you that long!  So if you head on over to my blog, 

Creative Playground, later today I will reveal the 

Top 3 Ways to Engage Your Readers!  

So make sure to stop by to read the rest of my post.  

If you click on the image below, it will take right to the Top 3.

Happy Holidays to you and yours my friends!  I wish you much rest, relaxation, and fellowship during the next few weeks.  

We here at the Primary Pack are thankful for you as readers and friends, too!  

Merry Christmas from the Pack;)

P.S.  As a side note, later after the "Sex" talk my son and I had, I asked him what he wanted for dinner that night.

He said with a big smile, 

"An extra-large with double pepperoni."

Pizza night will never be the same in our house.  

Never.  Ever.  Again.