In our previous article "Checklist - how to get the most out of your Facebook page" we showed you how to set up your Facebook profile properly, but that was only the first step. Now you need to keep your fans in the loop, and produce interesting posts. Here are 5 tips to maximise your reach:
1. Use activating pictures
Your posts will create more of a buzz if you include a picture. With an image you can often pull on people's emotions more accurately and effectively. Are you in the studio for a recording session? Take a funny band picture! Have you just done an amazing gig? Take a photo of the crowd! Are you supporting a great band? Time for a group photo! Try to select pictures which will resonate effectively with your fans, making them more active. You should use pictures which really jump out at people to achieve this. Funny pictures are also a good idea. Why not try dressing up the neighbour's dog in a band t-shirt and taking a snap? Extra tip: Make photo albums for special events. For example, if you're on tour make sure you grab a camera and take lots of pictures!2. Ask your fans what they think
A good way to get your fans commenting on your Facebook page is to ask them questions. It's so easy! Just ask them which song they want to hear most at the next concert, what the next album should be called, or even whether you should go swimming indoors or outdoors that day? There are other questions that work well in connection with pictures. For example, you could ask people to guess the name of the neighbour's dog in the band t-shirt. Do you have a picture of your bassist looking weird? Ask your fans what he might be thinking in that moment. You could also simply ask them to submit captions for your photos.3. Interact with fans
Don't forget to maintain an active dialogue with your fans. If a fan asks an important question in the comments section, it's always good if someone in the band takes the time to answer them. Sometimes this can even lead to a noticeable increase in the value of the post. Another method is known as the 'Call to Action'. This means that you prompt your fans into action, almost as if you were conducting a survey. Questions like 'My favourite song by X is.....' will always inspire comments. You could also try organising a vote, so that fans can pick their preference using a specific action. An example vote question could be: 'Who is better? The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? - Press like for The Beatles, and Share for the Stones.'4. Keep it short and simple
Short posts often have the best effect, so try not to make your posts too long. The rule-of-thumb is to use less than 80 words per post, but of course there are exceptions. You can of course express yourself more fully and naturally in special circumstances, mainly if you have something very important and serious to announce.5. Monitor your posts
As you continue to improve your posts, it is important to make some quality control tests. Monitor which kinds of posts are received well by your fans, and which ones you should scrap in future. There are lots of different factors at play here. Ask yourself whether you are addressing the right target group? Is your language targeted towards this group? Facebook provides a feature called InSights for Page administrators, in order to help with this sort of monitoring. With InSights you can see the value of your posts, your new likes, and other important parameters. It is also a good idea to try varying your posts from time to time. Monitor these experiments, and try to learn from them.
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