80% of what you post should entertain me, inform me, wow me. 20% is for other.
Other means your promotional material. Stuff about you. If that seems weird, here’s why we use the 80/20 split:
Each time someone likes, shares or comments – it tells Facebook that person wants to see more from your page. That means when you post important information, those same people are more likely to see it in their newsfeed.
The 80% entertainment is ensuring they’ll see the 20%.
Tag relevant pages in posts
This one seems easy, but so many people miss it. By tagging in other pages and people you can gain views from their followers too. Only business pages can tag other business pages unless you’re friends.
Please note: The pages you want to tag are ones who the post is ABOUT, not FOR.
Let’s say you are giving away tickets to a show:
Who wants to see <Tag in the show>, at <Tag in the theatre>? I have two FREE tickets to give away thanks to <Tag in sponsor>. <Tag in a celebrity you know is going> will be there. Should be an epic night.
It should not say:
Who wants to see <Tag in the show>, at <Tag in the theatre>? I have two FREE tickets to give away. Should be an epic night.
<Random friend who isn’t going> <Random page you think will share this post> <Random people you know that like this sort of stuff> <Your mum>
Don’t just dump a bunch of tags on the end of the post. It looks clumsy, and people think they’ve been spammed. Be genuine.
Write the way you speak. Naturally.
Social Media is a more informal setting than other media, and therefore you should be more natural. Think of a post as something you’d say to a mate over coffee. You’re not shouting at them, or treating them like idiots, or remembering to curb your enthusiasm. You’re authentic.
If you need to, read the post out loud before posting. If it is important, ask someone else to read it out loud to you. You’ll quickly notice what seems wrong with the writing.
Don’t say:
The Public Art Gallery would like to invite you to a photography event Friday evening at 6pm. The works are prestigious and … (I got bored even writing it).
Say:
Look at this stunning shot by <photographer>. I can’t stop staring at the woman in it. Come and see her for yourself on Friday. We’re having drinks and nibbles from 6 to celebrate the opening of <exhibition>.
Create events on Facebook
These are not just great organising tools, events on Facebook work as advertising promotions too without Facebook penalising you. The more people who click interested in an event, the further that event link will spread, and the more people will see it and will know about what you’re doing.
This means you can help other artists and small businesses by clicking ‘interested’ in their event (even if you’re not).
Events also mean you’re not taking people off Facebook (a big no no in the latest Facebook algorithm update. Read about that here.) You’re making it easy to provide and find details for those who need them.
Make sure your image for your header fits the specific size well, is not pixilated and the type can be read on mobile.
Don’t boost posts
Boosting posts is a waste of money. Create ads in ad manager on Facebook, but don’t be tempted by the Facebook notification that is asking you to boost a post. This is how they make their money, and how you will waste yours.
Before creating an ad you need to figure out what your goals are. Do you want more followers? Do you want more people to click on your website? Do you want to sell an item, or simply raise awareness of an upcoming project? Each of these have different ads you should be creating, and none of them are boosted posts.
It takes about 10 minutes to create an ad in Ad Manager. Here’s how to do it.
Louise Evans is a creative copywriter and the founder of Lemon Creative in Invercargill. She has created advertising campaigns for some of New Zealand and Australia’s most loved brands, and is a social media geek.
