Even the most hipster of all hipsters would admit to the fact that they feel some form of joy when someone “likes” their Facebook post. And we don’t blame them. A like, a comment—or better yet, a share on your posts would make up for all the time you spent thinking about what to say. It’s like a digital standing ovation. They get entertained; you get the outside validation you were looking for. And we’re not just talking about individuals who spend a few hours on the internet, trying to find the inspiration they need to make the “perfect FB status update”. This also applies to the businesses that spend hundreds of dollars for a social media guy to think of ways to pimp up their company online. A few likes could lead you to a willing customer. A few good comments would be encouraging enough for a potential buyer. And a share would mean a brand new audience for you to showcase your business! So it’s pretty important for a business to know HOW to post on Facebook. Yes, it’s good that you have a pool of brilliant writers who could whip up a sharp remark in a flash, but that’s not enough to get you the audience your business NEEDS. Here are a few tips on how to write on Facebook—and reap in the right kind of rewards:

1. LISTEN & ASSESS:
   • The best way to know WHAT to post about is through observation. Observe the activity on your wall and on related pages (yes, by that we mean spying on the competitor’s Facebook pages). Through this, you would be able to know what type of posts catch more attention, which topics strike up interaction and which updates just get thrown into the “ignore” bin.
   • Make sure though, that you assess activities that are RELATED to your business. We know Justin Beiber can bring in hoards of pre-pubescent girls to your page, but that won’t help you sell more Permabond Two-part epoxy.
2. Have some VARIETY
   • Everybody loves nachos. But after 3 weeks of eating just that, you’d be pretty sick to your stomach. You’d not want to see another chip for MONTHS. Same principle goes for what you post. Your audience might appreciate your brilliant blog posts about how your new hydraulic motor can lift a tractor off a baby, but if you just do the same thing over and over again, they’ll lose interest and viewership would go down. FAST.
   • So to keep your audience interested, throw in some infographics, related links and maybe funny memes to your repertoire. You’ll be surprised with their reaction. Given that you avoid posting offensive material. That’s NEVER a good idea.
   • NOTE: unrelated, out-of-this-world posts should be considered offensive.
3. Be NATURAL
   • Please remember that the people who read your posts are REAL HUMAN BEINGS. They are very capable of reading through your posts. They can sense it when your posts become too forced. Yes, posting about cow manure can be hard, but reaching a point where you introduce manure recipes and act like it’s a normal thing would NOT translate well to you audience.
   • Use the appropriate tone depending on what you post. If it calls for excitement, be excited. If it’s something serious, then tone down on the exclamation points. Be yourself when you post. Think of how YOU would say it in real life. That would be a place to start.
4. UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE
   • Being in the know means having the constant opportunity to jump in the bandwagon at the right time. Posting about relevant topics would give your audience the impression that your company is constantly on-the-job. And if you consistently post stuff, name-recall would then work its magic.
   • Just try not to flood your customers with your posts. That could lead you down the “BLOCK” road.
5. TOP YOURSELF EVERYTIME
   • You’re only as good as your next post. You’ll never know when the next potential buyer would come by. Don’t lose out to missed opportunities simply because you relied heavily on a great post you made weeks ago. What’s on the top of your clients’ news feed is what you posted minutes ago. Keep your head in the game. Try to make your next post even better than the previous one. In the world of Facebook advertising, there’s no other way to go but UP.

Posting on Facebook is pretty much like being in a house party. If you sit there on the sofa, minding no one but yourself, you end up ignored and lonely. If you go overboard and table-dance your night away, you become the laughingstock and no one will take you seriously. But if you strike up the right conversations, meet with the right people and keep yourself entertaining, then you end up with the strongest, most productive connections you can possibly have. And the best part about it is it’s on the internet. The whole world’s your house party.