Facebook is all about the sharing: pictures of your puppy, memories of your wedding, invitations to parties and stories of your summer. Brands want to get in on the action too, but ever since The Social Network began cracking down on companies asking followers to share their content, it’s become increasingly difficult to capture the analytics that drive marketing decisions.

1. 5 Strategies for Getting More Facebook Shares

2. Facebook is all about the sharing:
pictures of your puppy, memories of
your wedding, invitations to parties and
stories of your summer. Brands want to
get in on the action too, but ever since
The Social Network began cracking down
on companies asking followers to share
their content, it’s become increasingly
difficult to capture the analytics that
drive marketing decisions.
Main image via OmniArt/Shutterstock
Fortunately, the sharing experience is still alive and well between brands and their
Facebook followers. It’s all about creating content that makes your fans want to show
it to others organically, i.e. without you expressly suggesting it. Here are some tips on
how to make that happen.

3. This tip comes straight from the Facebook team and is the
first thing they suggest to companies trying to create
compelling and shareable content. “Your photo should
make people laugh, cry, or go ‘awww!’” says Facebook
expert Mari Smith. “When you do share photos, make sure
they look great and are eye-catching in a smaller version,
given most people will see a reduced size in their News Feed
and/or mobile app.”

4. According to a recent Facebook investor’s report, 655 million users
- almost half - only ever access the service on a mobile device.
Optimize your photos at 560 x 292 for the easiest viewing because,
after all, your followers won’t share what they can’t see. Text
should also be succinct enough to display well on smaller screens
so users don’t have to scroll around to read your headlines.

5. Content should contain actionable information that makes people want to tell others
about it. Words like 'discount', 'advice', 'inspire' or 'offer' have a natural appeal to our
sense of discovery and curiosity. Remember to deliver what you promise, though - if
you’re telling an “amazing” story through words or pictures, make sure your content
provides just that.

6. What time and day of the week you post content is almost as
important as the content you offer. A sporting goods company may
score the most shares by posting during professional sports events,
while an alarm clock company might see the best engagement with
early morning posts. Analyze your audience stats to find the best
posting times for your brand.

7. Nothing steers followers away from sharing your content faster than stumbling upon
irrelevant messaging. Your CEO might think a video of husky puppies playing in the
snow is adorable enough to share with your brand’s followers but if they expect to see
pictures of the running shoes you sell, they’ll click away before the idea of sharing
even enters their minds.

8. Increasing the amount of shares on Facebook isn’t easy, but engaging your
followers can be a lot of fun if you think outside the box and get creative.
Just like all other evolving marketing techniques, it takes some trial and
error, but the payoff is worth it.