Social media has grown exponentially over the past decade, both in terms of personal use and for purposes of branding. Businesses now utilize social media just as much as other, more traditional forms of marketing such as email lists and search engines. Through both organic and paid marketing methods, brands can reach millions of people with relatively little effort.

Facebook in particular is a trusted platform for brands given its huge audience and easy-to-use interface. Facebook business pages only work if audiences are actually engaging with its content and offerings, however. As such, let’s look at what you need to do to build a loyal following on your Facebook page and bolster engagement.

Create Native Content

Many brands share content across a wide variety of platforms. When doing so, users are often required to click on links and are directed elsewhere to read, watch or otherwise absorb the content. This isn’t a good strategy for brands seeking to increase engagement and build a loyal following on their Facebook pages.

Native content, or content that is uploaded directly to Facebook, produces better engagement results. This is because the content can be viewed and interacted with directly from Facebook, rather than requiring users to go elsewhere and then return to the page to interact with it. Whether it be videos, short blog posts or other forms of media, pinging links to your website may be good for other forms of engagement – but to maximize Facebook page interactions, it’s better to post it directly to the page.

Provide Exclusives

If you have an existing following across multiple platforms – or even just on Facebook and via your website – then focusing their attention to just one platform is easier said than done. However, many brands have found success in boosting engagement on their pages by providing exclusive content.

This can range from specific videos only posted to your Facebook page to exclusive deals and discounts shared only with those who like or read your posts. Ultimately, encouraging fans to visit and/or re-visit your Facebook page time and time again requires an incentive. By supplying your page with exclusive content, deals and/or other forms of entertainment, you’ll stand a better chance of driving that traffic back and increasing engagement simultaneously.

Engage With Your Audience

Last but not least, always consider the effect that your own personal level of engagement can have in encouraging others to do the same. Brands often can seem generic, sterile or otherwise disconnected from their audiences on social media if they only promote themselves or share specific content.

Instead of falling into this all-too-common trap, finding ways to engage with audience members is crucial for boosting Facebook page engagement. Whether you are pinging links to Facebook poll questions or replying to comments from users, find every opportunity to engage with your audience and provide real, human interaction on your end.

Ultimately, increasing your Facebook page engagement involves building a community of like-minded people. By engaging with them regularly as a human being, providing exclusive content and uploading non-exclusive content directly to your page, you’ll improve the chances that each fan interacts with your offerings in a meaningful way.