Almost every HOSA chapter begins the year with grand Facebook intentions. However, most chapters tend to give up or stop updating their page when they do not see the results that they want despite constant updates.

Here is the hard truth; members do not want to just hear about HOSA activities all the time. Why would they? Most people look to Facebook in the hopes of contributing or to be entertained. Members like to be seen. How about you provide tools to help them express their thoughts. 

To increase engagement on Facebook, we need to create content that is not only relevant but personal. Here are some methods that have helped increase Facebook page engagement and what has worked well for others.

1. Ask Questions

Questions are a great way to spark dialogue with members. It is probably the easiest way and one of the best methods to get members to respond to your posts.

Having said that, there are many types of questions that you can ask your members. Here is a short summary to help you get started.

2. Timing

Timing is extremely important when it comes to posting on any social network. Imagine updating your wall post when everyone is at school or when they are sleeping. It would be better to post after school or when members are in transit. These are the times that people are most likely to check for updates on their social network accounts.

A recommended tool to help you ease the work is Buffer. Buffer has proven to increase Facebook engagement as users are posting at the right times. Buffer is a great tool that will help you in two main ways. First, you can write multiple posts at one time, and choose which social profiles to send them, and then Buffer will spread them out throughout the day or week so that you don't have to be at a computer all the time in order to have a social media presence. Second, Buffer is able to provide more analytics than if you just were to post to Twitter or Facebook directly. 

3. Photos

We have all heard the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? On Facebook, a picture is worth much more than that. Photos are the best way to build engagement because they stand out compared to status updates or posted links. Pictures are clear and concise. Use photos to your advantage by posting pictures and asking members to choose their favorite.

 

4. Facebook Contest

Contests are another great way to increase Facebook engagement because not only does this reward loyal members but also creates excitement and will get users to visit your Facebook page frequently to check if they have won.

There are many types of contests that you can organize. Different contests can be structured to target the engagement that you would like from your members. A ‘vote to win’ contest would get you 'Likes,' but not as many comments as the more challenging contests that would require you to write a tagline in the comment box.

 

5. Crowdsource For Answers

Rather than answering questions by yourself, why not get all the members to help others who are in need of tips and advice? State advisors, teachers, officers, and members all need help. We require assistance with issues on how best to approach them. The idea is to crowdsource for tips and suggestions from your members, which in turn, helps other members out. 

6. Call To Action

Call to actions instill psychological nudges that help leaders drive their members to respond the way that they want. One thing that most teams tend to miss when they update their Facebook page is not having a ‘call to action’. Your members tend to respond better when they are given specifics to respond. What do you want members to do? Do you want them to comment? Click the 'Like' button? Share something with their friends?

7. Frequency Of Posting

The frequency of posting has also shown to have an effect on Facebook engagement.

Pages that post one or two times per day receive 40% higher user engagement compared to pages that have more than 3 posts per day. This shows that it is not the quantity of posts but the quality of your Facebook wall posts.

What works for your chapter may not work for others. There is one way to find out; trial and error. Have the courage to try new methods. If it works, score. If not, trying something else.