5 Ways to Maximise Your Facebook Shares

Posted on Feb 3rd 2015 in Social Media

While likes and comments on your Facebook page are good for your engagement rates and visibility, if you really want to increase your reach on the world’s most used social network, its shares you need to chase. The platform’s algorithm gives more weighting to highly shared content, pushing it to the top of users’ newsfeeds to be discovered by even more people.

So, how do you achieve more shares on such a crowded and competitive platform? These 5 tips will help you get started today.

Provoke an Emotional Response

Time and time again, the posts that reach a huge audience on Facebook are those which provoke an emotional response. While you may not be able to go viral, if you can make your readers laugh, smile or even cry, you can be sure to see your engagement rates soar. Get creative and think about how you might include more content of this type within your regular Facebook routine. Perhaps you could share news of a local community hero, an inspirational quote, funny guest photos or even a story about a recent guest marriage proposal or wedding anniversary holiday that took place at your resort.

Get Visual

In social media, visual content is king, and this is particularly true when it comes to Facebook. Including a high quality, eye catching image with your post can increase engagement rates by over 50%; leading directly to more comments, likes and shares.

Share a Good Cause

In a time of increasingly less face-to-face interaction, forging a meaningful connection with your audience has become more important than ever. One of the best ways to showcase the more human side of your brand and create a connection with your online community is to align yourself with a good cause. Posts which allow users to show support of specific charities and causes are amongst the most frequently shared types of content on Facebook, and it only takes a little effort and planning to work these kinds of posts into your routine.

For example, creating a post in support of breast cancer awareness month can help foster a personal connection with your community who will then share your post to raise further awareness. Not only will this encourage more people to support the cause, it will help your brand to reach an even wider audience online.

Offer an Incentive

If you really want to drive shares, then offer some kind of incentive such as a special package, booking discount or gift certificate. Few can resist a freebie, or at least a discount, so experiment with setting up an exclusive offer for your Facebook community next time your campaign needs a boost.

Just Ask!

It may sound too straightforward to be true, but simply including a call-to-action at the bottom of your Facebook posts can sometimes be all it takes to drive more people to share your stuff. Numerous studies have shown that businesses bold enough to specifically ask readers to share their content on Facebook are rewarded with more shares and better reach than those who keep quiet and hope the sharing will happen by itself.

This same principle holds true on the other social platforms and across all digital marketing channels -when you want your readers to take a specific action; if you don’t ask, you often don’t get!

Are you using these tips to maximise your Facebook shares? Let us know in the comments below!