Ways to Increase Blog Traffic Do you feel like your blog traffic is at a…
13 Ways to Increase Facebook Interaction
My Facebook fan page, Slap Dash Mom, is almost like a personal page. I share my ups, downs, things I find funny, things that piss me off… you name it, it's there. I have many friends in the blogging community that have asked how I get my posts seen, while they're struggling with getting likes, comments, and shares. I tell them, it's all about interaction! Talk to your readers/fans like they're your friends – because they are!
Facebook interaction is all about – you guessed it – interaction. No, it's not about numbers – you can have 100,000 fans and only have your “talking about” number be in the hundreds. Or, you can have a few thousand fans and have your “talking about” number be in the 10s of thousands. It all depends on many things, but mostly on how hard you work at it. If all you do is share links to your blog posts, nobody will care, and your interaction will be minimal. If you share fun stuff, things your readers want to see, your interaction can go through the roof!
Yes, Facebook's algorithm sucks – and it changes constantly! It seems like every time I find something that works, it stops working. So, I think one of the most important things to remember is: change it up!
Your page interaction (likes, comments, shares, etc) will go up and down, kind of like waves do. Don't get discouraged when you're experiencing one of the dips – it will go back up as long as you work at it!
If you like this post, you'll also enjoy:
… 99 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic
… How to Get More Likes and Followers on Instagram
… 43 Ways to Promote Your Blog Offline
… 7 Simple Ways to Earn Money With Your Blog
13 Ways to Increase Facebook Interaction
My page isn't large or popular by any means, but I truly care about each and every one of my readers, so it helps my fan page grow on a regular basis. I think people can tell when you're genuine. If you allow that to shine through, your page will be shared, recommended, etc. However, it's not magic.. and it doesn't happen quickly.. so if you want a head start on it all, consider trying some of these types of posts:
1. Funny stuff. Everyone loves to laugh, right? Share funny photos, status updates, quotes, etc that make people smile and laugh. When I see a post that makes me laugh, I share it on my personal page! Then, friends see it and they do, too. It all goes back to the page it came from, which increases their interaction and/or likes.
2. Photos. Whether you're a DIY blogger and you share photos of a project you're completing, or you're a mommy blogger and sharing photos of your kids, photos generally do better than plain updates.
3. Trivia. People love trivia! You can Google trivia questions all day. If you're not seeing many answers, make it easier (or harder), or offer a prize.
4. Personal, geographical, and/or advice questions. Ask your readers what their kids names are. The number of responses will blow you away! Ask their kids ages, or ask where they're from. Talk about how you have a large/small family, and ask if theirs is similar. Ask for advice – everyone loves giving advice.
5. Recipes. Post a full recipe along with a photo of the finished product. Encourage readers to share to their wall to save the recipe. To get clicks through to your blog, post a photo of the cooking process, and then add “click here for the finished product”
6. Choose a favorite. Ask your readers which item is their favorite. You're car shopping: do they like the blue Focus or the red Camry better? You're painting your bathroom: do they like the sea green or the lavender better?
7. Creative blog posts (yours and others'). Don't be greedy! Share your posts, but also share other bloggers posts. No, these won't get seen by as many people (because of the algorithm/links), but if you get creative they will be shared by the few that do see them. When the posts are shared, you benefit and the person who you linked benefits as well. When they see that you helped them out, they might be so inclined to help you out in return.
8. Debates. These are tricky. Debates work really well on my page, because my readers are very interactive, open minded, and they know that I won't censor them unless it gets really bad. So, they basically know they're allowed to speak freely even if they disagree with me. That means I have to be completely fair when it comes to keeping/deleting comments, and that can be verrrry difficult when I completely disagree with them. You could always do a funny debate: Peanut butter – crunchy or smooth? Soda – Do you call it pop, soda, or coke? Ice Cream – chocolate or vanilla?
9. Controversy. You have to be careful with this one, because if you play it wrong you will lose lots of fans, but I love controversy so I post something controversial once in a while. I don't know that it helps with my “seen by” numbers, but I've seen it help with my “talking about” numbers, and I usually get quite a few comments on controversial posts.
10. Quotes. Sappy love quotes work on most pages, while sarcastic/snarky/mean quotes work best on mine. Figure out what your readers respond best to, and use it to your advantage. Search Pinterest for good quote ideas.
11. “Like” if, “Share” if… These are kind of overplayed, so I don't use them, but I think they can work if done properly. “Like” if you'd rather live in a beach house, “share” if you'd rather live in the mountains — add a photo of each, and see what happens. There are lots of others you could do this with, that's just the first one that came to mind.
12. Games. (Find the hidden image, guess the number, etc) I love these! Share a photo that has a hidden object, word, or meaning. Ask your readers to help you spot the difference, find the hidden gem, or whatever.
13. Giveaways. These are a last resort for me because giveaways are just soooo overdone! If it's an amazing high value giveaway, I'm all over it. But if I don't have anything awesome to offer, I don't want to waste my readers' time, ya know?
As a rule of thumb, I would say sharing 2-3 status updates each day is perfect. Sometimes I go overboard, and have been known to post as many as 8, but it's more about the quality rather than quantity. Share two good posts each day, and your interaction will increase. Share two crappy posts, and your interaction will tank. Watch your Insights page in your dashboard, and this will give you a better idea of what to post and when to post it.
I'd like to finish this with 100% transparency: I'm not an expert when it comes to Facebook, or any social media platform. What works for me might not work for you. Everything thus far has been trial and error, so if you have your own tips (what's worked for you), please leave them in the comments!
Becky says
I’ll have to try some of these out. I’m always looking for ways to get people to interact. I have a few die-hard fans that will comment on every thing but most every other liker doesn’t comment/talk.
Jen says
Great tips! Thanks
Lindsay DeVore says
I absolutely looove this article!! You have one of the best blogs around.. I always look forward to reading it.. makes me want to be your “Slapdash Neighbor”.. ♡ ♡
holly waterfall says
Those are fantastic ideas! Do you schedule posts or just post organically throughout the day?
SlapDashMom says
I post them organically 90% of the time, but I know that’s not always possible. I have noticed that for my posts, if I post a photo without text, it does fine when it’s scheduled. But if I post a link or tag pages, it doesn’t do as well when scheduled.
Lisa @ the Golden Spoons says
Great tips! Thanks!
Teresa millies says
Great ideas! That I’ll be using. :) thanks!
Michelle says
THANK YOU. The people I hear bitching about it constantly only post a link and have zero engagement. Who wants to read that? I have 5k on my page and haven’t noticed a dip in who is seeing content at all, if anything mine has been as good or better. Why? Because I actually want talk to and engage the people who read my blog.
Jessica Cali says
Thank you for posting this!! I have read it & have also bookmarked it for future reference!! Your blog is one that I read constantly & I love some of your crafts & DIY posts!! Also, I’ve been a facebook fan for a while :-)
Julia/ Frantic Mama says
Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I love interacting with readers on Facebook and I would love to connect with more people on there.
~Frantic Mama
Sarah & Lola says
Thanks for the awesome post ideas! I think a lot of us need to ‘freshen’ things up once in a while ;). You rock!
Coco (@Got2Run4Me) says
Great tips. I decided that I don’t have time to “figure out” Facebook. I just use it as I can, when I can. I’m more of a Twitter junkie and Instagram addict.
Shop with me mama (Kim) says
Thank you for these tips! I always enjoy reading your Facebook posts!
Jhanis says
Will try some of these! I only get about 5 likes average likes on posts and it is a little frustrating. Makes me not want to post anymore. :(
Thanks for the tips!
Aleshea Dominique says
These are some great tips. Thanks!
Meg Kra says
What exactly are “talking about” numbers? I see those on my facebook insights but am not sure exactly what that means. Thanks for sharing this. I am going to bookmark it to read again later and also I want to look at your other links above. THANKS!!
SlapDashMom says
That means that many people are talking about your page, sharing your page, etc. :)
Adrienne says
SO good!! Congrats on the rockin’ FB page, girl!!
Kristen (The Opinionated Woman) says
Thanks this had helped a lot!
Denise Gabbard says
Hi Sadie– Great post, and the interaction part is absolutely where it’s at! I do social media work for a number of awesome clients— and the difference between success and failure in these networks has nothing to do with money. It is all about interaction and letting YOU shine through. (Obviously you already have this figured out.)
jaime says
I don’t remember how I ever found your page, it must have been a giveaway because I was really into entering giveaways for awhile. But I can tell you what kept me around, your Facebook page. Of all the blogs I have liked to enter a giveaway, yours is the only one I have really engaged with. When I get on Facebook, you are one of the first places I go to read, if it’s not already at the top of my page. I check your page, like I would check a “real Friends” page (or maybe I should say a friend I’ve physically met) I think I probably comment at least once a day. Your Facebook page and your posts are what made me come and explore your blog. Just wanted to tell my story on how I “met” you because it’s a perfect example of how your Facebook posts got at least one more fan.
Kim says
Thank you for this great post. I need to use some of these ideas. Thank you for sharing it’s a great post. Now I’m going to start interacting more on my facebook page. Thanks, Kim@ This Ole Mom
Charisse Murray says
this was so great i appreciate the help and the ideas are great. thanks
Wendy Bottrell says
Great tips! I like quotes and have used this idea. I have never attempted giveaways or trivia so that might be something to look into adding. Thanks! Wendy
Joy says
These are great tips. I’m really bad at this and trying to get better :)
Teresa says
I just found your site and love your blogging tip articles, especially this one :)
Mo says
I have only just set up my new website and am doing my best to get some comments on my new site! These tips are very useful thank you so much!
Nunzia says
Wow! I found your blog on Pinterest and I really love it. Thank you for these great tips, I think I need to try some of them right now. I’m a brand new blogger, but I wrote for many other site or magazine. The content is the king I know, but now I’ve to be attractive in a different way. So thank you! Ciao
Laura Mccartney says
I recognized a long time fan of my page and thanked her for being with us from the very start and how active she is on the page and that got a lot of shares and views
Francis says
awesome post,this was really helpful.thanks again!!!