Everyone knows how to post to Facebook, but not everyone knows how to SUCCESSFULLY post to Facebook. When scrolling through my timeline, I often see terrible posts by marketers who get lazy. They share an article and just include the link. No description or even custom image. This is a “no-no.”

Facebook surveyed users and found that 80% preferred links with headlines that helped them understand what an article was actually about. As a result, Facebook has made this change and is now punishing users who post strictly links or “click bait” type posts.

When you are writing a description for your posts, you also need to think about the consumer. Ask yourself, “would this make me want to click on the post if I was a consumer?” You also need to consider keywords to avoid. Avoid these words at all cost: Buy, Download, Install, Subscribe, Purchase.

Facebook will automatically reduce your posts to 1% reach (because these words are meant to be used in an AD).

According to Facebook’s research, links shared with a preview and a description (NOT JUST A LINK) were getting double the clicks. As a result, Facebook will begin favoring links shared with a standard preview as opposed to with an attached photo.

The goal of any post should be to get people to share, comment, and like. But why? When someone shares a post, then they continue to see your posts for the next 7 days. When someone comments on your post, they see your posts for the next 3 days. And, when someone likes your post, they will see anything you post for the next 24 hours. Therefore, if you can get people to engage with your posts, you will have better opportunity for your audience to see your follow-up call-to-action post. To increase your chances of a “semi-viral” post, it’s recommended to post at least twice per day.

So, what is a call-to-action post? A call-to-action post is a “follow-up” post. So, if you make a post and it goes viral (or just gets a ton of likes, comments and shares), you should follow that post within 24-hours (and during the time your audience is online) with a post about an upcoming event, product, or a with what you REALLY want your audience to see. It can even be a blog post linked from your website. By posting a photo, video, or infographic (which all generate more engagement) and then posting a c2a post, you have the best chance of getting click-throughs to a website, product, or event registrations.

Photos on Facebook have always gotten a slightly higher EdgeRank score, which means better visibility in the News Feed. But, don’t necessarily use an image on every single post; keep it interesting by mixing in links, videos, questions (app), and text-only engaging company updates.

A study by Buddy Media showed that posts 80 characters or less in length receive 27% higher engagement rates. Considering how much content flies by fast in the new moving Ticker at the top right of your Facebook home page, and also in the News Feed, it makes sense that a shorter post will catch Facebook users’ attention quicker.

And if you want someone to share a post (or like or comment), you can’t expect someone to do it out of their own free will. You have to tell them. Invite your friends, subscribers, fans and their friends along with visitors to your page to share your posts with their friends, subscribers and fans. Simple calls to action such as “Click like if you agree” often work well, so long as the preceding statement/question is relevant. Asking people to add their comments is good too. But, it’s the share that will likely create the greatest exposure for your page/profile.

Your Facebook network and extended community will find extreme value in reading and sharing the post. Don’t post just to be posting. Make sure your post is quality. If you don’t have time for a quality post, search a popular page in your industry and share one of their posts with a custom description. More than likely, their posts are already vetted for professionalism and accurate content.

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