#JTInTheRaw Show 63: 13 Tips To Get Your Fitness Business Facebook Page Humming
The cold hard facts of Facebook are:
“If people are not engaging with your posts, then there is a very high chance they are not even seeing them on their feed. This is because of the Facebook algorithm.”
BuzzSumo identified the 8 best practices:
- The best time to post is between 10 PM and midnight of your audience’s local time
- Posts with questions and images get the most engagement
- The best day to post is Sunday
- Posts that link to articles between 1,000-3,000 words get the most interaction
- Short post descriptions get by far the most interaction
- Directly embedded videos get over 6x the interaction of YouTube videos
- Images posted through Instagram get a 23% boost in engagement
- Posts with hashtags get less interaction than posts without hashtags
Today, I’ve got a few tips, tricks and hacks to get people seeing and engaging on your Facebook page.
Welcome to JTInTheRaw show 63 where I chew thin on business. I was an early adopter of social media – one of the first Aussies to venture onto Twitter; nearing 10,000 connections on LinkedIn, and I would suggest one of the first & definitely the most regular Facebook Livers in the fitness industry. So today’s topic is close to my heart!
What about you . . . how savvy are you are on social media? Give yourself a rating out of 10 – where 1 is not very and 10 is very savvy! And if want feel free to add what you want to know about social media? But first rate yourself on your savviness on social media?
Shout Outs
I want to say a massive shout out to my friends on Facebook who engaged with my post on Tuesday. I shared – maybe over shared – my journey – geez I hate that word – my journey from a fatty unfit bom-bar to someone who now embraces exercise and sees exercise as a gift.
I don’t want anyone to think I shared that post to boast or be narcissistic. My goal was to show that many people think fitness industry people are blessed with a love of exercise, always look good or have all day to train. And yes some industry people do but I am not one of them. I am like every other Aussie who fits working out in around life. It’s just now I make it a priority.
I am grateful for the 240+ people who liked, loved or wowed my post. I am very grateful for some beautiful comments. And I’d be even happier if together we can get more people moving & moving more often.
If you missed my post, pop JT in the comments and I’ll send you a link to the post.
So let’s talk Facebook.
Be honest, it just you and me talking now. Do you even know why you post on Facebook? Is it for sales? Is it for retention? Do you actually have a strategy of what goes up when and why?
More importantly do you know what resonates and what doesn’t for your fans. And do you know if your fans are even seeing your posts!
My confession is that on the Active Management Facebook page we have over 3,100 ‘fans’ and nearly 3,000 follow my page. On The Fitness Business Podcast we have 1200 ‘fans’ and the same follows. But in all reality we have very low engagement on our posts. Which makes me wonder if based on the Facebook algorithim are people even seeing what we are posting.
In The Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter she says in an online community:
- 90% are lurkers
- 9% are contribute occasionally
- 1% are regular contributors
This means for the Active Management Facebook with 3000 fans, we can expect 270 people to occasionally engage with us and 30 to be regular. We are still aren’t even close.
So this week I set about understanding HOW I can increase engagement from our fans with an organic reach and not having to pay to boost – although 9 out of 10 Facebook consultants will tell you organic reach is dead, you have to pay!
And that maybe true but here are some tips to get you refining your posts . .
Tip #1 – The Type of Post On Facebook
There are 6 main types of posts you can create on your business page:
- Questions
- Image posts
- Videos
- Links
- Giveaways
- Coupons/Discounts
The BuzzSumo team have dug into different types of question posts and found: question posts combined with images resulted in a 4 times more engagement post.
Tip #2 – Time Of Day To Post On Facebook Boosts Viewing
There are some common trends regardless of your time zone:
- The highest average click-through rate is between 1 & 4 pm, peaking on Wednesdays at 3 pm.
- The worst time for posting appears to be weekends before 8 am and after 8 pm.
- BuzzSumo compared the number of posts with the average engagement of all posts and found the best time to post in the US is between 9 and 11pm.
Tip #3 Post Yourself On Facebook
Scheduling posts to Facebook yourself instead of using a service like Buffer or Hootsuite is probably the most important factor in getting your content seen organically. Facebook’s algorithm favours posts uploaded by you and it is easy to do.
Tip #4 Focus on positive and fun content on Facebook.
A much-maligned experiment run by Facebook found that users who saw happy posts were more likely to share. The company has incorporated that experiment into its algorithm and currently makes posts that are overtly negative less visible.
Tip #5 Responding to Facebook Comments Is A Must
As we know the key to your posts being seen is engagement. If you encourage your fans to comments, like or share then you need to acknowledge them. This means:
- Responding to their comments; and
- Thanking them for sharing.
This will show a two-communication channel and set an example for other fans.
Tip #6 Load Your Videos Directly On To Facebook
According to Hubspot “43% of people want to see more video content from marketers.”
There are options to loading videos. You can:
- Embed a YouTube video:
- Directly upload/embed a video on Facebook:
According BuzzSumo, a video directly uploaded has 6 times more interactions than an embedded YouTube video.
Further data suggests that Facebook Live videos are viewed 3 times more than recorded videos.
Tip #7 Cut The Jargon In Your Facebook Posts
The number 1 turn off is using complex, technical language or jargon that only fitness professionals use! The people reading your posts are normal people, so use the language they use.
Tip #8 Avoid Begging For Engagement
If you think the easiest way to have people like, share or comment on you post is to ask them, think again!
An algorithm change Facebook made will now automatically lower those that beg for likes and shares.
At this point including a call to engage in a Facebook Live video does work. So if you know anyone who could learn from this list to get their posts seen more, then tag them in the comments below.
Tip #9 Facebook Seem To Love Frequent Posting
When you post often, you give different fans more chances to engage with your posts and remember the more engagement, the more Facebook like you – showing future posts to a greater portion of your audience because the algorithm has more data on what your audience wants to see from you.
Tip #10 The Hasthtag Effect on Facebook
You know hashtags rock Instagram, impact Twitter but what about Facebook?
The report from BuzzSumo, which analyzed more than a billion Facebook posts from over 30 million brand Pages, came to this conclusion – posts without hashtags generated more reach than those with tags added.
Tip #11 Facebook Users Aren’t Really Readers
A stunning picture will stop the scrolling action & say a lot more than a text post. Facebook posts with images see more than double the engagement of basic text posts.
Tip #12 Facebook Allows Your Fans To Control Their Timeline
Did you know that you as a Facebook user can decide yourself how the updates of a page appear in your timeline?
This is a powerful insight, as it means that you can encourage your fans to give your page a higher priority on their own timeline – never missing one of your posts.
BIG TIP – Here are the steps to have them add you to their ‘See First List’ – which tells Facebook they want to see your posts a priority.:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click on Follow
- Move the curser down to ‘See First’
Tip #13 What To Avoid On Your Facebook Posts
Click baiting is defined as “content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page.”
Click baiting intentionally over-promises or misrepresents in order to pull users to a website. More often than not click baiting on Facebook is a disaster waiting to happen – closing your page by Facebook.
It is also advised that you avoid CAPITALIZING one words and don’t use multiple exclamation (!!!!) points.
I thought I was a smarty pants with Facebook but researching this week, I think you can see I learned heaps! And perhaps my greatest lesson was being consistent on all of the above points!
As they say, we are either green and growing or ripe no rotting!
If you know anyone whom you think could benefit from just one of these tips, I’d love you to tag them in the comments. And don’t forget I will publish the full list of these on the Active Management website next Thursday.
This Week
I am prep’ing for my trip to Mexico. I’m delivering two presentations and my key note is Fitness Business Leadership in 2017. So I’m planning on talking about tech, generational leadership, and trend spotting. So it’s a week of researching and writing for me.
Quote of the Week
It is not about page likes. It’s engagement, then trust and then sales. This is all built on content that adds value.
Do you want to work one on one with JT?
Check out all previous shows here: http://www.activemgmt.com.au/category/jt-in-the-raw/
Justin is the Managing Director of Active Management, which he began January 2004. He offers coaching to businesses worldwide in everything from start up and design to marketing and sales systems. Justin also facilitates four Australian and New Zealand ‘fitness industry roundtables’ events, which allows him to see a huge cross section of business models.
Education, light entertainment and lead generation..?¿
Good mix of reasons to be on FB Jordan – at least you’re clear! #kudos! Hope the tips were useful.
Justin Tamsett yes they were useful ??
Justin Tamsett yes they were useful ??
JT do you see difference between pages and groups. Closed versus open groups
Massive difference between pages & groups in relationship to access of information. ? In my groups I give more details. On my page I wet the appetite. ? In my groups I have a stronger relationship with people, so can be more specific on calling on people to comment. ? Im not sure why you’d have an open group and not a page – seems too limiting an open group. ? I never throw someone out of a closed group, hopefully this has them buying from in the future – when the time is right. ? Does this help Gavin?
It was more about do you see a different level of organic reach and then engagement between group and page. Where do you place more of your time. And you have answered most.
Engagement on a closed group is exactly the same % – 90;9;1. I always try to quietly (off line) encourage one or two people to boost conversations on topics in the group.
Massive difference between pages & groups in relationship to access of information. ? In my groups I give more details. On my page I wet the appetite. ? In my groups I have a stronger relationship with people, so can be more specific on calling on people to comment. ? Im not sure why you’d have an open group and not a page – seems too limiting an open group. ? I never throw someone out of a closed group, hopefully this has them buying from in the future – when the time is right. ? Does this help Gavin?
Yes sir!
Hope it was a great conference!
Justin Tamsett it was a great time!
Big Tip ?
Here is the big tip Leah
Thanks Justin?
Great tips JT
Jenny Kay
Thanks for sharing Matt . . . hope it helps Jenny.
Those quads need no more growth!
Quads n calves . . . LOL
You assumed we know how to tag someone!
Good pick up Jamie!
Ellen Hayes Great JT
Thanks for sharing with Ellen
Love it… inspired me to contact a PT as gift to myself!!!
That is bloody awesome PK! #kudos mate!
Morning JT ?
Big Tip ?
Thanks Justin?
??????
Michelle Warren Thomas Cobern Frances Maher Karlee Orr Jenny McConnell- Muscat Shelley Snellin
WOWZERS! Thanks for sharing Cindy as always!
????????
????????
Michelle Warren times of postings??
Super interesting times . . . it all comes down to competition on the newsfeed for when people will see you.
Agreed very interesting.
Tips are good and you also great….. lean and fit ! So awesome to see !
Thanks Frances . . . you are super kind! TY!
Thanks for swinging by this morning as always Susan!
Thanks for shining by this morning Gav . . . was this your first ‘live’ #JTInTheRaw?
I love your posts!
Have watched a replay before.
Thanks mate
Pleasure!
Desiree, interesting video, with heaps of FB tips on engagement
Thanks for sharing with Desiree Amanda … hope these tips help!
Kristy Torrisi Tori O’Brien FYI
Thanks Yvonne for sharing with Kristy & Tori … ?… hope you get some tips Kristy & Tori!
Justin Tamsett thanks Justin was good ?
Kristy … glad it helps! TY for watching
Thanks Yvonne for sharing with Kristy & Tori … ?… hope you get some tips Kristy & Tori!
Justin Tamsett thanks Justin was good ?
FYI – Kristy & Tori if you want me #JTInTheRaw there is a You Tube channel with all previous shows – http://bit.ly/2hsI4vB
Great way to finish Friday. Thanks Justin Tamsett
A great way to finish! TY Mrs Hayes. Enjoy the week end!
That’s a harsh score on yourself
If you want to binge this week end on #JTInTheRaw all 62 shows are on You Tube http://bit.ly/2hsI4vB. Shows are broken into: shows 1-26; 26-52; 52-62. The title of each show will tell you what its about or check out the show description.
Ok. Got 10 to sit down and watch
And whatcha think Kellie?
Justin got half way lol.
5
Lead gen & communications
Big tip
Here is the Big Tip . . .
Here is the big tip Cindy . . . super simple . . .
Here is your big tip Matt
Justin Tamsett Thks!
Michelle Warren Thomas Cobern
And your Big Tip Jamie
Justin Tamsett thank you
Anita Savasana. Listen to JT on this one. Some great stuff on your social media
Thanks Matt for sharing! Anita . . . hope you get some value.
Great show JT. The 3 years I spent working on the gym floor before becoming a PT was invaluable for me. Nothing beats getting real life experience and guidance from those already doing it. Hence the reason we employ trainers and provide such an extensive mentor program at Vision. Most Trainers being sold the dream of running their own businesses straight after their fitness course without prior business experience are being set up for failure. I strongly believe that many trainers can be a great business owners once they acquire the skills. It just takes time!