We all have our likes and dislikes. It’s the same for the Facebook fans who create the most engagement for us. Facebook page fans will like and interact with one post type but not another and will engage more with one type of content than another, including links, native photos, video, live video, text statuses and albums versus one-photo posts.

What this means is that there’s no secret sauce or formula for every Facebook page. Every page is different in terms of what types of posts create interaction—and what items get zero attention. The key is to find what kinds of posts work for your page, what specific post types engage your audience. It will take a lot of trial and error at the beginning, but once you find your mix of content and post types, you can build on that data to create a genuinely engaging page that has incredible organic reach levels.

 

1. Grandma’s “Like” Doesn’t Count

When trying to find that perfect “fan match” for the page, it is essential that you have a clear picture of who you are looking to attract. You’re not just looking for “vanity” likes or people those “likes” that do nothing more than increase fan numbers. Attracting "likes" just to show big numbers will actually hurt your Facebook reach in the long run. To be effective, your fans' likes and interests must match the type of person you want your posts to appear for in their Facebook feed. In other words, Facebook's algorithms determine where your posts show up based on the interests of your fan base as a whole.

This is why it’s essential to only ask people to "like" your page if they would be an actual potential client or customer. Don't ask your aunt to "like" your page just for numbers. Asking someone not in line with your target demographic to "like" your page only confuses the algorithm.

 

2. Finding the Ideal Facebook Page Fan

To find that ideal fan, take the time to brainstorm. Who are the people who will buy from you, act on the content you share and bring more fans like them to you? Resist the urge to be everything to everyone. Dial down to discover the perfect person. Brainstorm their traits, find where they currently visit on Facebook. Create an avatar out of those traits and start speaking to those fans in your posts.

What is an avatar? An avatar is also known as a “target persona.” This is the person you imagine you are talking to when you post. They are your ideal client or customer. It could be as specific as a woman in her mid-30s with a salary or $80K, who drives a Ford Edge, has two kids and likes AC/DC. Or it could be a guy in his mid-50s heading towards retirement, no kids at home, with a salary of $150K who drives a used Chevy Silverado.

Once you have the avatar of your ideal fan, start experimenting with different post types, posting times, and topics related to your page. Ask lots of questions, create engagement in the posts themselves and keep notes on what works best for your audience. Your Facebook page insights will also help” What other pages do your fans like? Where do they shop, what are their ages, and their other demographics? With this info, you should then:

• Take a look at the content that works for the other pages your fans like. What works for those pages organically? What falls flat? Don’t copy other pages' strategies, but understand that the success of those pages will give you insight into what might work best for your target fans.
• Look for the Facebook groups these people might be. Join these groups as yourself and engage with those people. See what they are looking for, what kinds of content they engage with, and work those things into your overall Facebook strategy.

Now that you have done the work of finding and engaging your ideal fan — learned their likes and dislikes, what gets them going, and what turns them away — you can build your fan numbers and engagement for much less than if you have to pay to boost posts. Even better, your page will have great initial organic reach numbers in a time when organic reach is trending toward zero.

3. Appealing to the Algorithm Gods

Once you have figured out what works for your ideal fan and you have created an engaged page that has good organic reach based on those specific types of posts and content, keep posting on a schedule. Increased engagement on a page leads to the Facebook algorithm that shows your page to even more people, and your reach will be increased exponentially. In other words, the increased reach will happen as a snowball effect.

 

4. More Than a Selling Tool

Resist the urge to use Facebook as a billboard or only as a selling tool. Instead, give great content to your audience. Treat those fans well and with respect rather than only as potential buyers. That leads to increased organic reach because those fans will be ready to act on and engage with what you post, and that leads to Facebook's algorithm determining that your page is important to these fans and the virtual community. Your posts will now show higher up and in more peoples' newsfeeds. In turn, when you do have a call to action or sales offer, they will also show up to more of your fans in their newsfeeds, and those fans will be actual potential buyers who will act on your offer because you have done the work to attract that specific person to your page.