Photo by Kayci Decker Photography

It’s true. Facebook user engagement is down across the board (according to this BuzzSumo study in 2017), but that doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel just yet. Facebook is still the largest social media network out there, and while it might seem like the newest algorithm changes haven’t helped advertisers out much, I think that it might just be time to reevaluate how we’re advertising our products and services! Facebook is all about keeping users engaged, so content that isn’t engaging gets penalized while content that has a proven track record of success gets promoted. That said, your business page needs to have great engagement in order for Facebook to promote your posts in your follower’s newsfeeds. Here are seven simple ways to boost your Facebook page engagement that both Facebook and your followers will love!

photo by Lynn Lewis Photography & Design

1. GO LIVE

Did you guys know that Facebook has been pushing advertisers to share more videos? It’s true! Facebook’s newest algorithm gives video posts priority on users’ feeds because users LOVE videos and engage with videos more than they do with photo or link posts. This is great news if you’re a videographer, but what about the rest of us?? One way to take advantage of this new Facebook algorithm change is to go live! Here are a few Facebook Live ideas that we’re loving:

• Let your followers know about a new service/package that you’re offering
• Interview an industry peer
• Give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at a live shoot or even a live edit
• Talk about a topic that’s important to you, such as albums or unplugged ceremonies
• Instead of just sharing a link to a new blog post, go live to let everyone know that you just blogged another amazing wedding
• Share BTS looks from your travels + let your followers know where you’ll be next!
• Share a sneak peek from a wedding album (something like this)

The best part about live videos is that Facebook gives live videos EVEN more priority than regular videos. So, while you’re live, Facebook will notify your followers as well as put your live video at the top of their newsfeeds. Brilliant. Once you are no longer live, Facebook will treat your live video just like any other video, which is still better than a regular photo or link post. So, GO LIVE!

Photo by Jeff and Cat of The Apartment Photography

2. Run a poll

People love to share their opinions, so you should definitely take advantage of the polling feature on Facebook! Poll your followers to get their feedback on a variety of topics:

• What’s your wedding month?
• Boho or industrial weddings?
• Color or black and white images?
• What do you want to see next on the blog?

These are just a few ideas. I’m sure that you can brainstorm a slew of poll ideas that are perfect for your brand and voice.

3. Ask questions

When you blog a new wedding, instead of just slapping a link up on your business page with a “go check out my new wedding –>” caption, you should try asking your followers a question! This engagement method is totally related to the polling method in that people love to share their opinions. Here are a few potential questions you can ask the next time you share a wedding:

• What’s your fav image from this wedding?
• What your favorite wedding tradition?
• What makes you tear up the most at a wedding?
• What’s a funny caption for this photo?
• Do you prefer this photo in color or black and white?

People love chiming in, so give them the space to do so! Also, make sure that you engage back! If someone took the time to look through your wedding and share their favorite image, let them know how much that means to you. Not only are you being a kind human in doing so, but you’re literally adding more engagement to your own post. Win/win!

Photo by Kenzie Blink Photography

4. Share your knowledge

Facebook is a great platform for you to share your knowledge as a wedding professional. I’m sure that there are a few topics that you’re passionate about when it comes to weddings. For example, maybe you believe that every couple should do a first look. Opinions are engaging, and sharing your knowledge as a wedding photographer will not only help to get you more comments and reactions, but it will also help you to educate future clients!

For example, if you share an emotional first look photo, let your followers know that if they want images like that, they should consider adding a first look to their wedding day timeline! Write out your thoughts and be vulnerable and honest as those are the types of posts that get shared on Facebook.

5. Post consistently

If you only post to your Facebook business page once/month, Facebook isn’t taking you seriously. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but the credibility of your page and the consistent quality of content that you share goes into the engagement recipe on Facebook.

According to Kissmetrics, you only need to post one to two times per day to see a big increase in engagement. However, keep in mind, that quality is better than quantity, as posting more than a couple times a day does not equal more engagement!

Photo by Baptiste Hauville

6. Share curated content

Buffer found that their engagement and reach spiked dramatically when they started sharing more curated content. What’s curated content? On Facebook, content curation is “the practice of finding and sharing high-performing content from other pages,” according to Media Shift. As curated content does not generally link back to your site, a lot of people don’t understand the point of sharing content for content’s sake. However, while curated content doesn’t lead to traffic right away, it does an amazing job of increasing your audience so that when you do post a new wedding, more people see it!

Keep in mind that you still need to stay on brand when sharing curated content, so find the right publications for you! The following list includes just a few suggestions, but I suggest exploring Facebook and keeping your eyes peeled for brand matches:

• Junebug Weddings – I’m just saying, we share tons of amazing wedding planning content!
• Harper’s Bazaar – You’ll find interesting wedding related posts along with current events and pop culture
• The Venue Report – This publication is especially handy if you’ve got travel-obsessed followers
• Scott’s Cheap Flights – Speaking of which! Who doesn’t love a good travel deal? And who knows, maybe one of your followers will book you to document their trip!
• Someecards – For the occasional meme and miscellaneous pop culture musing

Photo by Colin Ross

7. Share more videos

I opened this post up with live videos, and I’m coming back full circle to end the post by telling you that you need to share more videos. Did a videographer work alongside your at your most recent wedding? Share their video with a link pointing followers back to your blog post of that wedding. You can also use regular video (not live) to share any of the examples I listed underneath the Go Live section. Here they are again for reference:

• Let your followers know about a new service/package that you’re offering
• Interview an industry peer
• Give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at a shoot or even a look into editing photos
• Talk about a topic that’s important to you, such as albums or unplugged ceremonies
• Instead of just sharing a link to a new blog post, go let everyone know that you just blogged another amazing wedding
• Share BTS looks from your travels + let your followers know where you’ll be next!
• Share a sneak peek of a wedding album (something like this)

A lot of us use Instagram Stories and Snapchat to share behind the scenes moments, and I’m seeing more and more of these types of videos shared directly on Facebook. I think that’s wildly efficient. Do that. Save videos that you share on other platforms and see if they have potential to be shared later on your Facebook page!

photo by Will Khoury Photography

Ready to tackle your Facebook engagement? How about you start by joining the Photobug Community Facebook Group!