Somewhere along the way, brands made Facebook a popularity contest and began competing against each other to see who could get the most “likes”. Yes, having a lot of people “like” your Facebook page can help your brand appear credible, but does a significant amount of page likes mean that you have a solid Facebook marketing strategy in place?

We all know the Facebook news feed algorithm is constantly changing what content it displays to users, and having a lot of “likes” on your Facebook page doesn’t cut it anymore. Just because someone liked your page doesn’t mean that they’ll see, or engage with, the content you post. Facebook, like Google, has repeatedly made it clear that posting quality content that’s timely and relevant is the best strategy to have when it comes to your social media marketing efforts.

The more your fans engage with your content, the more visible your posts will be in their news feeds. Why? Because Facebook’s algorithm is designed to only serve up what it feels is most relevant to each user based on their habits and engagement history. Building a quality Facebook audience takes work, you need to create great content that people will actively engage with. To help you shift your focus from garnering more page “likes” to creating and sharing content that will actually add value to your audience, here are a few ideas:

Share industry related information.
Likely, you want to position yourself as a thought-leader in your field and be the “go to” business for any industry related questions. One way to accomplish this is to stay up-to-date on the latest information and breaking news stories that pertain to your industry. There are several useful (and free) online monitoring tools you can set up that will send an alert when industry news, brand mentions, or keyword-related searches appear online.

These monitoring tools are also great for finding topics that your audience is buzzing about so that you can create content that’s most relevant to their interests. You can further mix things up and inspire you audience to chime in on the conversation by offering your own take on popular news stories. A second opinion from a trust source never hurts!

Create and share an infographic.
Since you typically want to keep your social media posts short and sweet, sharing an infographic is a great way to summarize a lot of data into a visually pleasing format that is sure to pique the interest of your fans. The good news is that it’s easier to do than you think! Try using a service like Piktochart to create an infographic that pertains to your business and audience. People love to share infographics, but make sure your facts are right and you quote your sources. There’s nothing worse than misinformation that can harm your brand’s reputation online.

Share images of people interacting with or using your product.
Testimonials have always been a powerful tool in helping to earn trust and credibility, and Facebook can help you take this to the next level. Instead of simply posting what someone said about your brand, try encouraging your satisfied customers to post pictures interacting with or using your product. Photos are the most engaging type of content on Facebook, resulting in a whopping 87 percent interaction rate, they can help you greatly increase the exposure of your content and validate your products for people who are “just looking”.

These are just a few of the many ways that you can create quality content that will drive better engagement and create more conversations about your brand online. The more engaging your content is, the better equipped you will be to organically grow your Facebook audience.

Need help coming up with the perfect mix of content? Send us a note or swing by our Social Media Management services page, we’d love to help!