Last December, Facebook announced its crackdown on engagement baits, spammy posts that urge people to react, comment and share. Their goal is to boost engagement and get a wider reach; the more reactions a post has, the more it will show up on people’s News Feeds. After the update, however, these baits get demoted and appear less on News Feeds.
As a trusted social media management company, SEO Services Australia stresses that high engagement is crucial to building your social media presence. Not all engagement techniques, however, get a thumbs up from Facebook.
Types of Engagement Baiting
Many kinds of engagement baits abound on social media. Your business may have even published well-meaning baits before. It’s time to leave these kinds of posts behind. Here are five types of engagement baits Facebook demotes:
- Vote Baiting – Companies post photos or text that asks users to “vote” via reactions or comments. For instance, company A asks followers to vote for their favourite shirt colour. Those who like red would give a Love reaction, fans of blue would give a “Haha” reaction and so on.
- React Baiting – Companies ask for reactions, comments or shares in response to a post. For instance, company A shares an article about zodiac signs and adds the caption “Like this if you’re a Leo!”
- Share Baiting – Companies hold contests and ask users to share their posts. For instance, company A announces that they’ll give away products to three winners. It asks users to share their post on their timelines to enter the contest.
- Tag Baiting – Business pages post text, photos or videos, and ask users to tag a friend in the comments section. For example, company A posts a video about its product with the caption “Tag someone who needs this!”
- Comment Baiting – Companies post a photo, video or text and ask users to comment specific words. They don’t start a discussion because they ask for a particular response. For instance, company A posts a photo of its product and adds the caption “Comment [heart] if you want this on your desk!”
The Pursuit of Better Engagement
Facebook rolled the engagement bait update because it wants to promote more meaningful conversations. As a business, this should be your goal, too. Post thought-provoking content that earns, instead of asks for, reactions. Here are some ways you can achieve this:
- Conduct Facebook Polls – This is an effective way to get free, valuable insight from users without resorting to vote baiting. Polls also help widen your reach because many people share interesting questions.
- Host Facebook Contests – Instead of asking people to share posts, hold a Facebook contest that follows its community guidelines. Bear in mind that Facebook prohibits using personal timelines and friend connections for promotions.
- Post Engaging Content – Make sure your content is meaningful and unique. Each article must provide value to your users. Remember, they only share relevant and interesting posts on their timelines.
As Facebook and other social media platforms update their algorithms, be ready to improve your digital strategies. Competition is tight, and consumers are finicky, so you need a fresh and well-thought-out social media marketing plan. Contact us today and let’s discuss how you can boost your social presence.
