If you are an avid user of Facebook, it is probably safe to say that you know how to post messages, "like" a post, and you probably know how to "Share" a post from a friend of a page.
I'd like to share a few common activities I perform on behalf of Muttville for its Facebook page that I would recommend to those of you who are managing FB pages for your organizations. These activities are subtle acts of engagement, but I find they have long lasting, positive impacts on your fans and fellow animal rescue organizations.
(1) Like every positive comment on every post.
I'll be using the example of a photo we designed and posted of one of our adoptable dogs named Bridget. On every post, we make sure to "like" every positive comment. If people care enough to take the time to put a comment, then we can take the time to "like" it! This action is an easy way to acknowledge a kind effort. This easy action goes a long way....
(2) Look at the lists of those who "shared" your posts. Like and/or reply back.
Those who shared Bridget's photo have made a generous effort that deserves a "like" as well as a comment. Each person has introduced Bridget to their friends. In this example below, Pet Adoption Focus shared Bridget's photo to their 840 fans. I really like this example because they also took the time to write a creative and cute caption. Because they took this extra effort, I do not hesitate to offer a comment back on their post as a "thank you".
(3) Join the conversation .
If you see opportunities to get others to chime in or ask questions, then do so! On the same post for Bridget's photo, her foster mom did a great service to Bridget by offering first hand experience of what it is like to live with Bridget. This comment alone is a great opportunity to encourage engagement with the 100+ people who liked Bridget's photo. We made a more obvious request for engagement - inviting people to ask questions about Bridget, directly to her foster mom.
(4) Tag others who would be interested in joining the conversation
There are foster parents and caregivers, and even "fans" of our the dogs starring in your posts. In the same example above, you can see names in blue, which denote that the name is a link. By "tagging" someone who commented or is a Facebook friend, they receive a notification. When Opie Ramsaur Beswick "tagged" a friend named "Sarah Mikaels", Opie encouraged a new person to engage in the conversation. Nice social move! Muttville also tagged foster mom Kelly when we responded to her comment to let her know that we mentioned her and to look out for any potential questions about Bridget.
These are just 4 examples of great ways to engage and be social on your social media networks. Next week, we'll show more examples using Pinterest and Twitter.
Do you have examples of how you get social on Facebook? We'd love to hear from you. Send us links in the Comments below, and we may use your example in future articles on AnimalRescueMarketing.com!
