7 Effective ways to use Facebook for personal blogging
Contributed By - Sneha Ranebennur
Mark Zuckerberg once alleged, People want to go online and check out their friends, so why not build a website that offers that? Friends, pictures, profiles, whatever you can visit, browse around, maybe it’s someone you just met at a party. Eduardo, I’m not talking about a dating site, I’m talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online. This was the beginning of the most popular social networking webpage.
In one sentence if I have to define Facebook is that it’s an e-directory made up of personal contacts, information and photographs. Facebook gives you renowned opportunities for keeping in touch with social circles, reunifying with lost family and friends. A popular feature of Facebook is status updates; which are spontaneous, momentary “mini-blogs” used to describe thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. So here are some interesting and effective ways to use Facebook for posting your updates.
1. Make Your Images Big
Let the pictures do the talking. Visual images are more attractive than textual posts. Facebook posts that include images get around 120% more engagement than posts with no photos. Make your images prominent, and you’re going to get lots more Facebook likes, shares, comments - and click through.
To create a full sized image Facebook post, upload the image directly.
Example:
The image is visually appealing and relatable to the quote. Also make use of #hashtags, it’s a great way to make your post more searchable .
Tips for Making your Images Big:
• Upload a visually appealing, related image to increase click through to your post.
• Use a shortened link such as a bit.ly (https://bitly.com) in your full sized image posts, to keep your text cleaner.
2. Make your Updates Short
Your post updates will have lots of text. On Facebook, though, short, witty updates generate the most engagement, and click through. Ideally, keep your update one sentence, and under the 140 twitter character count.
Remember that lots of your people are using Facebook on mobile, too. Keep this in mind when you’re creating your text.
Example:
Write out 2 or 3 short one-sentence summaries of your thought.
Tips for Making Short Facebook Updates:
• You can now make the textual post attractive with a colorful background for your text.
• Emoji’s with your text has a good impact on the readers.
• Keep your mobile readers in mind.
3. Embed Short Video Updates
Get creative with your post images. Using Boomerangs and Hyperlapse apps are a great way to make short videos and have a greater appeal. Make a short Vine or Instagram video to show your readers the essence of your post update. Then embed the video on your Facebook Page, your friends and followers can get a taste of what your post is about.
Tips for Embedding Short Video updates:
• Embed the video directly on to your Facebook post, to entice your Friends and Followers to interact with it.
• Include faces, or products to make it more personalized and cool.
4. Go Live with Facebook
Live is the best way to interact with viewers in real time. People love watching video, which is why Live videos are a dedicated place to watch this engaging content on Facebook. Live lets you connect with the people who care most. Your followers can receive notifications when you go live so they know to tune in to your broadcasts at just the right time.
Tips for Going Live on Facebook:
• Check to make sure that you have a strong signal before going live.
• A great description will capture friends’ and followers’ attention and help them understand what your broadcast is about.
• The longer you broadcast, the more likely people are to discover and invite their friends on Facebook to watch the video.
5. Ask Questions
Questions naturally invoke a response, don’t they?
Use succinct, curiosity-invoking questions to get clicking through, sharing, Liking or commenting actions.
Make your questions witty, short and intriguing. Keep your readership in mind, and always keep your question related back to your post or updates.
There are many types of questions you can ask, from fill-in-the-blank, trivia, personal views, etc.
Tips for Asking Questions:
• Keep your questions short, easy to read, and relatable to your Friends and followers. Use the word “you”, for example.
• Ask for a recommendation on Facebook is also a great way to get answers for something you are looking for.
6. Skip the Link
There’s no need to keep the link in the text of your post (unless you are posting a full sized image).
Make your update clean. Delete the link in your text before you post it. The image and summary of your article is clickable directly on your post updates.
Example:
Here’s what I mean:
Make your Facebook Status update, with the link to your post:
Tips for Skipping the Link:
• Keep your Facebook update more readable, without the link.
• Once you copy the link of the video or a blog to post on your wall, it loads the content which is clickable, unlike the cluttered link.
7. Share Other People’s Content
While it may seem counterintuitive, sharing other people’s content is actually a brilliant strategy in driving more traffic from Facebook to your profile wall and page.
Social media is all about sharing. So, share blog content from industry leaders, your friends and followers, and other reputable sources. Use articles that are relevant to your interest, and that relate to your readers too.
Tips on Sharing Other People’s Content:
• Share other people’s content when it is from a trustworthy source, and the article benefits you and your readers.
• Include the link to their Facebook Page - when the article is from another person or page.
• Generate potential sharing opportunities by extending your network with industry leaders and Friends and followers.
Facebook is an amazing social site which helps share your post, updates, get it shared, and ultimately get you more readers for your mini-blog articles. Facebook gives us a significantly more effective and in most cases, less expensive way to stay in touch with the people that mean the most to us.
It can also provide tools for exploring new and exciting ways to entertain ourselves like create a Facebook story that disappear in 24 hours, Facebook memories, update a life event, research your family history by starting a family tree, or join a group that shares your interests. The opportunities are endless.