The role of social media in our daily lives has produced a microcosm through which people stay informed of the latest events and can look at certain subjects via a filter quite easily. As a result of the rapid growth that social media has experienced, countless brands and businesses have flocked to sites such as Facebook and Instagram in an attempt to capitalize upon this phenomenal marketing opportunity. Those who operate Facebook fan pages know that content affects performance and engagement, but it has been difficult until recently to gauge what types of content will produce which effects. In the pursuit of making fan page operation as simple as possible, we have gathered these details and will explain below how you can affect your Facebook page’s performance positively.

Positive Effects – Persuasion

If you are pinging your website with content on a daily basis, then you probably have an arsenal of persuasive material ready for social media use. If you want the most engagement and highest performance possible for your Facebook page, then the use of persuasive content is a must. The primary purpose of this content is to encourage others to like, share and discuss the subject at hand. This will create social signals throughout the network and with select search engines that garner additional attention for your brand. Many brands use imagery and brief snippets to achieve this effect; you do not have to create grandiose articles or multimedia projects to enjoy these effects (in fact, simple content has a higher engagement rate).

Negative Effects – Details

Believe it or not, the tendency to be thorough via social media is one that will lead to a decreased amount of interaction and engagement. Individuals appreciate details, but social media is a unique place in which every snippet and blurb should strive to be as simple as possible – after all, it is competing against hundreds of other comparable mentions flowing through a user’s status feed. When discussing product details, specifications or large amounts of data, you can expect to see likes and shares plummet when compared to persuasive content. A way to help negate the negative effects of informative posts is to engage the audience through a tease – invoke emotion or ask a question before your post delves into promotional or informative discussion.

Positive Effects – Interaction

Another great way to ensure that your content is drumming up as much enthusiasm and attention as possible is to encourage interaction with it. Many brands will ask their followers specific questions or for comments about a current event or even their own products. This, in turn, can initiate dialogs and make it possible for you to broaden your understanding of your followers while also pinging your website to a wider audience. Multiple-choice questions tend to perform better in terms of engagement than open-ended questions, so plan your content distribution accordingly.

Conclusion

The best ways to boost your Facebook page’s engagement is to use persuasive content and encourage interaction. Too many details and overly-wordy statements will turn off your followers and lead to decreased shares and likes, both of which are vital social signals for brands on Facebook.