Having a profound Facebook strategy in place that provides the results you’re looking for can prove incredibly difficult. Facebook’s algorithms and consumer behaviors are constantly changing, so creating content that matches up with each of these is always a challenge.
It’s helpful to constantly remember the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your content should be used to inform, entertain and educate your customers and 20% for selling. It’s important to continuously seek out new and unique post ideas that follow this formula. Here are just a few to get you started:
Present a Problem, Ask for Solutions
Posts that ask a question can generate a lot of engagement from your followers, especially ones where the solution can ultimately benefit them. People also love to provide answers and opinions to such questions. Consider asking your followers what they would do in a specific scenario or posing a popular question that’s frequently asked about your business. They can then respond with their own feedback and you can interject with yours.
User-Generated Content
User generated content is content that is created and displayed by an unpaid individual. It can include pictures, videos, testimonials and more. User-generated content can help build brand awareness, gain trust with your customers and help you build relationships with your local community. It shows potential customers that people who’ve visited your business previously are satisfied enough to post about it, and that’s a big deal.
For example, if you own a small furniture store that specializes in refurbished items and someone posts one of those items within their home on their any social channel (not just Facebook), you can share the post with your followers by linking or posting a screen shot. Be sure to add in a call to action, like “Show us how you’ve taken your home’s décor to the next level with our furniture.”
Utilize Facebook Live
A 2018 HubSpot survey revealed that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from brands and business they support. Facebook Live is a great way to change up your content strategy, if you can come up with a unique idea for using it. Think about what makes your business stand out and provide your followers with an inside look into those components. You can also do Q&As with your audience, discuss important events happening within your industry, provide views from an industry expert or provide a demonstration of a new product. The possibilities are endless.
Create a Poll
What better way to understand the wants and needs of your customers than by simply asking them? Facebook polls can not only drive engagement, but you can uncover valuable information about your business by creating them. Take some time to determine your most lingering questions you have for your followers, then formulate a timeline for asking them.
Be sure to keep it interesting and not too self-promotional. For instance, you might consider asking what products they want to see your business offer, what content they want to see more of on your social channels or even the problems they’re having that relate to your field of work.
Seasonal Content
Now that the holiday season has begun, it’s important for small business owners to remember that this time of year presents a massive opportunity for content creation. Posting fun, feel-good, holiday-themed content that isn’t promotional can provide positive engagement from your followers. If executed correctly, they may even feel motivated enough to share it with their own followers. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be holiday themed. Consider posting about holidays that align with your business, like national cappuccino day or national pizza day (both of which, do in fact exist).
