How do you get people to engage with your brand, especially on Facebook?
What can we do to increase the quality and quantity of their interactions with us online?
Last week we looked at recent Facebook posts by TRT Australia. You can read that article here.
For context, TRT specialise in the design, manufacturing, and engineering of large specialty trailers (for example, house removal trailers), truck and trailer parts, truck and trailer mechanical service and repair, as well as new and used cranes for sale in Australia, and so on.
TRT are doing great on Facebook. We noticed a few things that TRT do really well.
- They make their customers the hero of their posts
- They show how TRT is the guide that helps the hero succeed in low-key, I’m-not-trying-to-sell-you-anything ways
- Their Facebook posts are mainly about brand awareness, not direct marketing
- They deposit far more often than they withdraw from the social media bank account.
We also noticed an area where TRT could increase their impact on Facebook, and potentially get more engagement.
TRT would likely see an increase in online engagement with their brand if they could create more content that resonates with their followers. Content that makes their followers cheer – inside their head, of course!
So they could create content from the following list:
- articles, blogs and podcasts
- case studies
- stories that make your customers the hero
- testimonials that show how your brand helped the hero
- motivational memes/phrases – short, sharp, sharable content
- quotes from other articles, etc that establish your authority as a brand
- statistics about your brand, even from another news source
- powerful images from your own brand – not stock photos
- compelling videos that tell the hero/guide/life-change story
3. Help your Customers Climb the Engagement Ladder
Today we want to dive into that a bit more.
Lets focus on how to help TRT to increase the level of engagement that customers have with their brand.
The mistake a lot of businesses make on Facebook is trying to get more followers.
The better strategy is to increase the level of engagement with the followers you already have – and encourage them to share their experience with other people in their industry. That’s how your list can grow.
Follow on Social Media
The engagement ladder starts with getting people to like and follow your posts on Facebook.
If you are paying to boost your Facebook posts, the chances are people in your industry are seeing some of your posts.
What will it take to get them to, not only stop and read it, but to like and follow it?
Here is where resonating comes in.
The content that you create must cause an emotional reaction within the person reading. They must react, respond!
It could be that your story is a bit if a tear-jerker. It might make them want to stand up and shout. They might simply think, “good on ya mate!” or
Either way, don’t be boring. Don’t be safe. Don’t be same-old-same-old!
The above images of Pollock Cranes is from a video TRT put on their Facebook on 9 July, 2021.
If you’re going to use video, make the people watching it feel something. Make them want to shout out “flipping heck that was tight…. “Nice job mate!””
This works if they do similar work and know what was involved. So make them want to see more of the same. Give them details they will relate to.
That is what it takes to get someone to follow your page.
Keep it coming
One of the best ways to keep your brand in people’s minds is to post regularly.
Now, some people over-do this and we get sick of them every quickly. So there is a balance and you’ll probably have to find out by trial and error. Have some loyal followers that you can ask for feedback. They will tell you if you ask them.
Please don’t be the company that posts 10 times per day. Believe it or not this used to work… but not now. No. Don’t!
It might be once, twice, or even 10 times per week. But it must work for you not against you.
You can create short series. In TRT’s case they could do a two week series on nothing but cranes around Australia. Then they could do a short series on parts and services support, then trailers, and so on.
One advantage of a series is that you don’t have to constantly wonder what content you’ll create. Keep a log of content and then use it to suit.
It could even be a “photo of the day,” or “trailer of the day,” or even “Hero of the day” series. It gives people something to look forward to.
Another thing to look out for is which day and what time of day works best for your followers. By this I mean, when are your followers most active on Facebook? Your Facebook advertising account will tell you. By posting when they are already online you will get more engagement, more likes and comments, and Facebook will reward you with more reach. Crazy but it works.
So find out and schedule your posts to suit.
Let’s get Them Climbing the Ladder
We’ve already covered the idea of using content that your followers resonate with. This is essential.
But you can go further.
Ask Questions
Post a photo, or a video, or a quote.
But then ask a question. Sure, not everyone will answer, but some will and then the ball gets rolling.
An interesting question is also a great way to kick off an active comments thread. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- How do you [complete this action]?
- Why do you [like this event or brand]?
- Do you agree with [a notable statement, event, person, etc.]?
- What’s your favorite [fill in the blank]?
- Have you ever… ?
- What was the most… ?
Stop and check your question. Some questions don’t actually invite an answer!
Make Them Laugh
You have to be careful with this. Not everyone will agree on what is funny.
For TRT, what makes a truck or crane driver laugh?
Is it a great joke?
What about “fail of the week”?
Use Amazing Photos
Not stock photo’s, real-world photos that will resonate.
If your photos are usually wide-angle to take it all in, get close up so your followers can see your hero.
But don’t stop there. Add a quote. Tell a story.
Videos get more watches than photos
The above Pollock Cranes photos are from a video that got many watches.
The trick is to get people talking about it. So add a question or get provocative or ???
Ask for Amazing Photos
Ask your followers to post a pic of their truck, trailer, crane, shop… favourite hero!
GoPro
This might not work bouncing around in a truck on a red dust road in the outback.
But first person point-of-view video can be awesome.
Is someone climbing up a crane to fix it? GoPro.
Are you following a low-loader somewhere extraordinary? GoPro.
Are you lifting something out of the ordinary? GoPro
Reply to Comments
Again, time consuming, but people love to engage with you and your brand. So speak to them. Really engage. Ask more questions.
Time is of the essence here. You have a maximum of four hours to comment for it to have an effect.
So don’t post and ghost. Stick around and engage.
Titles that capture interest
By this I don’t mean to sensationalize all the time. People get sick of that.
But it is well known in content circles that the following ideas make great titles.
- Include a number – “5 Reasons why… “
- A positive or a negative sentiment – “9 Brilliant strategies…” or “5 Costly Mistakes…”
Negative headlines are attention-grabbing and tend to perform better than neutral ones. Positive headlines tend to get better engagement than neutral or negative ones. - Power words like Growth, Exploit, Breakthrough, Lifetime, Focus, Opportunities…
- Emotion words like Peril, Frightening, Soar, Thrilling, Irresistible, Unbelievable…
-
Lists and how-to get more engagement on average than other types of headlines – “10 Tips for…” or “How to increase…”
- 6-8 Words, 50-60 characters… too long or too short doesn’t help.
Resonate
Have I mentioned your content must resonate with your followers?
Competitions
Everyone like to win. People love free stuff!
Giveaways and competitions are a great way to get people excited to engage and follow your Page. Check out Hootsuite’s tips for running a successful Facebook contest here.
Avoid engagement bait
When you’re hoping for likes and shares, it might be tempting to ask for likes and shares. Don’t do it! Facebook considers this engagement bait and will penalize you by downranking your posts in the Facebook algorithm.
Make them want to share
People will likely share something that informs, entertains or inspires.
A really great video tip for managing fatigue on the job, with a personal story included, could resonate.
Or a fail of the week (that isn’t making someone look bad) that is genuinely funny and relatable (we’ve all done it but this guy got caught in the act!”
Go Behind the Scenes
Show them your workshop.
Video something unique or special taking place.
Introduce them to a living legend.
Interview a well-known person in the industry.
Highlight a guest visitor.
You get the idea.
People are inquisitive. Be relatable. Open up. Share the life of your brand with them.
4. Keep Them Climbing the Engagement Ladder
Ok, so you’ve got followers commenting and liking and sharing… what more can you do?
Stay tuned for the next article that focuses on how to keep them climbing and becoming fans.