We’re all guilty of blindly interacting with engagement bait. Like! Vote! Share! React! To things that… actually aren’t that engaging, but yet we do it. Does this mean that our own content quality control filter is failing?
I mean, am I realistically going to win an X Box One for liking, sharing, tagging AND commenting on a post? Probably not, but the avaristic part of you (like the one that plays the lottery), thinks that maybe, just maybe I will.
Well, Facebook is fighting the engagement good fight for us by tweaking their algorithms to penalise ‘spammy’ posts that clutter our feed, and keep us topped up with ‘meaningful & informative’ content.
Authenticity & storytelling are still integral to publishing excellent content (and hopefully will always will be), in the same way that a bland Shutterstock image could weaken your chances of engagement (go motion! Huzzah for video!).
So, if you want to boost engagement, just be clever about it. Write well, from your brand’s heart. Use good visuals. Be creative and innovative. Address what your audience wants, and what you want them to know about you. As your own brand guardians, it pays to not take the bait and go down a cheap, sensationalist route.
If you do? Reach will decrease, share engagement will drop, posts will be demoted. Don’t mess with the ‘book. They keep rewriting the last chapter to keep you and its audience on their toes.
However, if you’re genuinely asking for help, advice or recommendations, you’ll be okay. Thanks for cleaning that up, Facebook. Now, how about addressing those wellbeing doom & gloomers whose anti-Facebook arguments are starting to snowball?
