Saffire Blog

Facebook Top Fan Badges: What They Are and How To Use Them to Increase Engagement

Do you ever feel like your favorite brand’s biggest fan? Well, now you can prove it! You might’ve already seen one of Facebook’s newest features, the top fan badge. What’s the deal with these badges and how do you use them? Top fan badges, which pop up with a little star next to a … Continue reading “Facebook Top Fan Badges: What They Are and How To Use Them to Increase Engagement”

Do you ever feel like your favorite brand’s biggest fan? Well, now you can prove it!

You might’ve already seen one of Facebook’s newest features, the top fan badge. What’s the deal with these badges and how do you use them?

Top fan badges, which pop up with a little star next to a user’s name, will display top fan status when a user comments on your posts. To get them, a user has to be one of the most active people on your page. Facebook hasn’t told us EXACTLY what it means to be “most active,” but we know that a mix of clicking on posts, liking things and leaving comments will do the trick.

Basically, if a user seems really interested in your page, Facebook will reward them with a tiny badge of honor. It’s positive reinforcement at its finest.

For you, it means your followers are more likely to interact with your page and feel proud doing it. It’s a win-win!

Here’s the fun part: If you want to encourage fans to earn top fan badges and ultimately engage more with your page, there are lots of fun games you can play to encourage interaction.

Our social media client, Tulsa State Fair, has been encouraging people to become top fans by offering random giveaways to Facebook top fans during fair season. So far, the page has seen a huge spike in interaction with more than 60 top fans now active on their Facebook page!

For pages hoping to follow in their footsteps, a giveaway of any sort will do! Tulsa is giving away free ride passes, but food vouchers, tokens, meet and greet passes, swag or any other fun item will work.

Another more discreet way of encouraging top fans is to send messages, thanking them for their interaction. You can even offer them a discount or a free item! This encourages them to stay active on your page.

To turn on top fan badges, go to your business page, click Settings in the top right corner, then click “Facebook Badges” in the left-hand sidebar.

Saffire will be having a bit of fun in the following weeks with top fans on our page! We encourage you all to join in on the fun and to come up with other creative ways to interact with your fans on your own page!

The Best Apps to Up Your Marketing A-Game

Social media apps make a marketer’s job 100 times easier by giving the tools needed to create content that is branded, engaging and much more fun. A marketer without their apps is like a cowboy without his rope! One of the most common questions we get about social media is how to create engaging … Continue reading “The Best Apps to Up Your Marketing A-Game”

One of the most common questions we get about social media is how to create engaging content that doesn’t break the bank. For us, the answer comes down to choosing the right apps! After testing out many apps on our own social media accounts and helping clients find their perfect matches, Saffire put together this list of our own go-to tools to help you choose the right apps for your organization.

Whether you want to create a nifty graphic to share on Instagram, make a cool video for Facebook or schedule and preview your posts ahead of time, the right app can make your process a breeze.

These our five favorite apps of the moment for upping your marketing a-game:

The Best App for Scheduling Posts: Later

Where to find it: Later.com or in your mobile app store.

Later is our go-to app for scheduling social media posts using our phones or internet browser! Our favorite feature is the preview setting, which allows users to see how posts will look on Instagram before posting, for that perfect curated look. We also love the calendar view, which can be viewed in both weekly and monthly formats and is perfect for an on-the-go content calendar that automatically posts to social media.

The Best App for Designing Graphics: Canva

Where to find it: Canva.com or in your mobile app store.

We know you’ve probably heard of Canva by now, but it continues to be our favorite editing tool! Canva is a mobile app and in-browser website that allows you create your own beautiful graphics without any fancy software. It’s user-friendly and fun without losing any tools you’d expect in a good design software. Unlike some of the other apps we used that only had select fonts, colors and templates to choose from, Canva allows you to create your own graphics either with a template or from scratch. It’s one of the reasons we love Canva and use it almost every day. Not to mention, Canva has a huge library of royalty-free images and icons that come in handy for whatever graphics you dream of creating! If you’ve used Canva in the past but not recently, you’ll find that they have added some handy new features like a mobile-only video editor, compatibility with Dropbox, direct upload to MailChimp and more!

The Best App for Creating Stories: Over

Where to find it: In your mobile app store.

Over is great app for Instagram stories that allows you to overlay text and graphics onto your photos and videos. Like Canva, Over has tons of templates, stock photos, fonts and graphics to help you create the perfect on-brand content. We love Over for its Instagram story templates that allow you to make perfect curated stories that look just like your favorite influencer’s.

The Best App for Editing Photos: VSCO

Where to find it: In your mobile app store.

VSCO is a fan-favorite editing app for good reason. Add a pop to your photos by cropping, adjusting brightness and temperature and adding tons of free filters for a fun or more polished look. Our favorite feature is the favorites tab, which lets you save your favorite presets and filters to use at the click of a button.

The Best App for Videos: Biteable

Where to find it: Biteable.com.

Biteable is a video creation tool billed as the “The World’s Simplest Video Maker.” While it’s only available on desktop for now, we can vouch for the fact that it’s pretty easy to use and can make some really cool videos. Whether you’re selecting from pre-designed templates or making a video all on your own, Biteable has great features including a video library, animation and text options to help you create an engaging video in just minutes. With their free plan, you can create five video projects a month, or upgrade for more flexibility.

There are so many cool apps to take your digital marketing to the next level, so don’t be afraid to try them out and let your creativity shine! Remember, on-brand graphics and engaging posts will always be in style. If you download these tools and decide you need more than just an app, Saffire is always a quick email away to help you reach your social media goals.

This article previously appeared in IFEA’s ie Magazine.

Are Boosted Posts Worth It? The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads

If you’re new to Facebook advertising, you might be wondering about boosted posts – like what they’re used for, how to set them up and whether they’re the same as Facebook ads (spoiler alert: they’re not!) While boosted posts sometimes get a bad rap, they can still be useful in your social media strategy. … Continue reading “Are Boosted Posts Worth It? The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads”

In this guide, we’ll explain the ins-and-outs of boosted posts, what they’re used for and how to set them up.

Boosted Post Vs. Facebook Ad: What’s the difference?

Boosted posts are the most simple way to run an ad on Facebook. They don’t have the same types of targeting, features and power you can expect from a full Facebook ad, but they are a great option for anyone who is new to the ad world.

People love boosted posts because you can quickly and easily create them from content you already have on your feed! Just post your content, click “boost this post” and boom – you’re pretty much done. Once started, boosted posts allow you to target for engagement (more likes or comments), traffic (more clicks to your website), or messages. With as little as a few clicks and $10, you can reach more people and increase your engagement with a boost!

Facebook ads are a little more tricky, but in turn they offer you much more power. To get started you’ll have to create an Ads Manager account and take some time to learn the ins-and-outs of the Facebook Ads world.

Anyone that’s ever been in the Facebook Ads Manager knows that it can be a long confusing process. Unlike boosted posts, Facebook ads open up a whole world of possibility when it comes to targeting. While you may target people who have been to your website with a boosted post, with Facebook ads you can get even deeper – like targeting people who have been to your website, are also moms with young children and who live in Texas. Plus, you’ll get many more ad objectives like conversions (getting people to take a specific action on your website like buying tickets or signing up for a newsletter), event responses and video views. And don’t even get us started on all the different templates you can choose to show content in!

Just remember that Facebook ads won’t show up on your regular feed. Instead, they’ll be shown only to a specific audience that you select through targeting.

Should I Create a Boosted Post?

While full Facebook ads are always a good idea for organizations looking for more than just engagement, like merch or ticket sales, boosted posts still have their uses. They’re a great way to increase engagement on content already posted to your page in an algorithm that makes it hard for businesses to get noticed. Plus, they are cheaper and easier to use.

We recommend boosted posts to anyone who is just starting out. They’re a great way to get familiar with Facebook targeting and optimization, and it’s better to run boosted posts than no ads at all. Use boosted posts as a stepping stone until you’re ready to run full-blown Facebook ads. They will help you get comfortable with the ins-and-outs when you’re ready to take the leap!

If you find you’re still scared of setting foot inside the Facebook Ads Manager, there are tons of resources to help you get started with full Facebook ads (and Saffire is always here to help!)

So, I’ve Decided to Boost A Post. What Now?

Boosting a post is easy! Just follow these simple steps.

Post your content. Include your photo or video and some fun, interesting text!
Click the bright blue “Boost Post” button.
Select your objective: Do you want to send people to your website, get more engagement on your post, or encourage people to send you messages?
Choose your audience. Choose between targeting specific demographics, people who like your page or people who like your page and their friends.
Select your budget. The minimum is $1 a day and at least $10. After you select your budget Facebook will give you an estimate of how many people they expect your post to reach.
Set your post duration. This is how many days you want your post to run.
Click boost.
Congrats! You have a boosted post.

In the end, boosted posts are a great starting place, but we don’t recommend sticking with boosted posts forever. When you are ready to start creating full ads, reach out to Saffire or read more about getting started.

10 Mistakes You Might Be Making on Social Media

Ever put a ton of work into your social media, only to wonder later why your posts aren’t performing like you thought they would? Here we break down the most common mistakes made on social media, so you can change your social media strategy to become a social media superstar! Ugly, bad or … Continue reading “10 Mistakes You Might Be Making on Social Media”

Ever put a ton of work into your social media, only to wonder later why your posts aren’t performing like you thought they would?

Here we break down the most common mistakes made on social media, so you can change your social media strategy to become a social media superstar!

Ugly, bad or just plain uninteresting photos

2008 called and they want their flip phone photos back. It’s 2019, and we are officially in embedded far into the visual era. Brands with beautiful, creative and curated feeds are everywhere. Chances are that some of them are even your competition. Bad photos just don’t cut it anymore.

There’s just no excuse for bad, boring, pixelated photos anymore. Resources like Canva and Adobe Spark Post make it possible to create great-looking graphics without any experience, and even stock images (which once get a bad rep) are stepping their game up. It’s time to stop putting up just any old thing, and time to start really planning your posts – including finding the perfect image or graphic to really bring your message home.

Writing like a robot

“Come to our event. We will have many fun things to do. We will have great food like hot dogs, hamburgers and fries. There will be rides and cool animals. You do not want to miss this!”

What’s wrong with this text? It’s not that it’s bad – it’s just that it’s boring! It doesn’t entertain, inspire or even call for an action. How many times have you seen text like this online? Copy like this is boring, unpersonal, and it belongs nowhere near social media! Social media is a place for fun and interaction! Don’t be afraid to show some personality and spunk. Before you post anything, try asking yourself “Do I actually talk like this? Would I say this to a friend?” If the answer is no, rewrite it!

Outdated Information

Okay okay, we know that updating your profile information is not the most fun task on this list, but it’s an important one, nonetheless. Studies show that people are searching social media more and more to find their favorite businesses. That means that about sections, links and descriptions MUST be consistent or up to date or you could miss out on potential business. Do yourself a favor and check on these every few months.

Not responding when people engage

Here’s the thing about social media – it’s meant to be social. Your posts and content first and foremost should be created to connect and engage with your followers. Nobody wants to engage by themselves! Too often we see organizations forget to respond to their fans, then wonder why their engagement starts to fall off!

Remember, Facebook wants you to talk to your followers. The algorithm views your comments and fans’ comments as equally important. That means that when you reply to comments on your posts, you improve your engagement rate, making it more likely that the algorithm will show people your posts. Plus, without engaging you miss the opportunity to talk directly with your customers, build positive relationships and even resolve customer service problems.

Spamming people with too much content

This one is a biggie. Yes, we LOVE your content, but no we don’t want it 10 times a day. Social media is not a catch-all for every piece of information that you have for your customers. You still need to utilize emails, calls, messages and plain old in-person conversations. Don’t post every little thing on social media and expect to keep a captive audience. Limit posting to one to two times a day. Your followers will thank you.

Not utilizing all of the features at your fingertips

Polls, recommendations, stories OH MY! There are so many different ways to post on social media in 2019. Don’t forget to try them all out. We’re not saying to go crazy with different features for every post (unless that’s your thing – then go for it!) but a good poll or carousel

have been shown to increase engagement and add an extra layer of entertainment to your feed.

Not using videos

With tools like Biteable it’s now easier than ever to create fun and quick videos. And since Facebook is now basically a video streaming machine (Facebook execs predict Facebook will be ALL video and no text by 2021) it’s also more important than ever to jump on the video train. We know video takes a little more time and effort, but studies show that that the payoff is worth it.

Too much promotion, not enough interaction

When was the last time you logged on to social media thinking “Ooooh! I just can’t wait to see all the ads!!”? My guess: probably never, and your followers are no different. We all put up with the occasional promo between our cat photos, baby announcements and Spongebob gifs, but nobody ever gets excited to see your sales pitches. So, do yourself a favor and keep your promo content short.

Promotion is necessary, but it should be used subtly and sparingly when it comes to social media. Obvious promotional content will get scrolled (and scrolled and scrolled) past. Too much promotional content might just land you an unfollow. Spend 80% of your time thinking of ways to entertain and delight your clients.

Forgetting CTAs

Having an effective call to action is an important part of any digital content. You’re not just doing all this work for fun, right? So, don’t forget to let your audience what you want them to do. Plus, CTAs don’t always have to be all about the sell! They come in handy for regular posts too! Try asking your audience questions to encourage engagement or telling them to click on your newest blog post.

Failing to follow a strategy

As fun and impactful as social media can be, without a plan it can also be a huge waste of time. We see this time and time again – organizations post on social media every once in a while, without a solid plan, then wonder why their page fails to grow or sell tickets. Here’s the thing: posting with no plan is not marketing. It’s taking a shot in the dark and hoping that something sticks.

Social media should be approached the same way as any other marketing campaign! You should set goals, choose your audience, select a budget and have a solid content calendar in place to help you measure your results.

What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas

We’ve all been there: It’s been days, maybe even weeks since you’ve posted on social media. Then, that dreaded notification pops up from Facebook: “[So-and-so number of] people who like your page haven’t heard from you in a while. Write a post!” So, what do you do when you know it’s time to … Continue reading “What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas”

We’ve all been there: It’s been days, maybe even weeks since you’ve posted on social media.

Then, that dreaded notification pops up from Facebook: “[So-and-so number of] people who like your page haven’t heard from you in a while. Write a post!”

So, what do you do when you know it’s time to post something, but your brain is drawing a blank? After checking your content calendar, of course, try using one of these five ideas to help you get creative on social media!

Here’s What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas:

Participate in Fun Holidays

Who knows what day National Ferris Wheel Day is on? Hint: It shares the same day as everyone’s favorite date night! (Valentine’s Day!)

There are tons of fun holidays from National Ferris Wheel Day to National Best Friend Day that are perfect for adding to your social media calendar! Not only are they quick and easy content, but they’re a perfect way to participate in timely and highly shareable content!

As a festival or event, using national holidays to promote food and fun at your event is a no-brainer. Destinations and venues can find luck in highlighting local eats, partners and shared posts from your community.

User-Generated Content from Your Fans

There are lots of fun things about running social media for events, festivals and destinations, but possibly the best thing of all is running into people that ADORE spending time there! Luckily for us, people who love spending time at your event often love sharing photos.

User-generated content is a great way to fill your feed with content that is valuable, trustworthy and on-brand.

We recommend setting up a hashtag and asking your followers to tag you in their photos, that way there is an easy-to-find space where fans can share their posts.

Promote upcoming events or specials

Got a sweet event coming up that your followers just can’t miss? Post about it!

Even if your event is a few weeks or months away, try getting the excitement going with sneak peeks or behind the scenes footage! Not only does it open up the opportunity to create hype and promote your event – sneak peek content gives you another way to build a more authentic relationship with your followers.

Ask Questions, Create Polls or Play Fun Games with Your Followers

Asking questions is one of the best ways to increase engagement on your social media! The best thing about using questions and polls is that it not only encourages comments, but it also gives insight into the personalities and preferences of your customers.

Here’s some fun ideas to get you started:

Would you rather…?
This or that?
If you could….?
Fill in the blank
What is your favorite…?

Participate in Daily Hashtags

Daily hashtags are popular hashtags on social media for certain days of the week. You’ve probably seen some of the popular ones like #MotivationMonday, #TravelTuesday or #ThrowbackThursday.

When in doubt, combine a daily hashtag with a fun photo! They’re a great way to fill your feed with content that is fun, shareable and creates extra reach.

There you have it: 5 ideas for posting on social media when you have no idea what to post. Get creative with these ideas, and we’re sure you could fill a whole calendar with them!

Good luck and happy posting!

How to Actually Sell Tickets with Facebook Ads in 4 Easy Steps

Billions of people use Facebook every single day. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Facebook is one of the best places to sell tickets for your event! Facebook ads offer an affordable but effective way to get your event in front of thousands – and even millions – of people online, all … Continue reading “How to *Actually* Sell Tickets with Facebook Ads in 4 Easy Steps”

Billions of people use Facebook every single day. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Facebook is one of the best places to sell tickets for your event! Facebook ads offer an affordable but effective way to get your event in front of thousands – and even millions – of people online, all without ever leaving your office!

Here at Saffire, we truly believe that selling advance tickets online can make a world of difference for your event. Every year, we work with hundreds of different events. Though all of our clients are unique -different types, sizes and audiences – we all have the same goals: selling out fantastic events & making the process fast, easy and fun for customers! What’s easier than buying your ticket online and showing up completely worry-free?

Setting up Facebook ads for your event can be intimidating, but it is one of the best ways to get advanced sales up and running. We hear from clients every day wondering “Where do I go? What do I click? What should the ads look like, and who should I target?” The great news is that setting up ads can be easier than you think. Plus, if you are interested in running more advanced ads or need some additional help – Saffire is just one call away.

Here’s How to Create Facebook Ads That Actually Sell Tickets in 4 Easy Steps:

Plan

Before you dive right into your Facebook ads, begin by creating a plan for your content. Creating a strategy will help you cut down time, reach the right audience and stay on track with your goals. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

What Is Your Goal for Each Ad?

Before you get started, it’s important to create a specific and actionable goal for what you’d like to accomplish with your ads. This many seem obvious. “We want to sell tickets – duh!” But keep in mind that people rarely buy tickets the first time they hear about an event. That’s why Saffire recommends creating a series – or “campaign” of multiple Facebook ads used to inform and excite your customers before eventually getting them to buy. For this reason, Facebook offers a few different types of ads meant to promote your event in different ways.

Whether your goal for this specific campaign is to gain awareness (we recommend running awareness campaigns three to six months before your event) or to get off the ground running with ticket sales, choose a goal that is measurable and realistic. For an awareness campaign, your goal might be something like reach 5,000 people. For ticket sales, try something like sell 500 tickets in two weeks.

What Is Your Budget?

There are a couple of different things that will affect the reach of your ad including your audience, engagement and budget. Decide on a budget early so you can plan out your campaign effectively. Generally, we recommend budgeting about $100 for a two-to-three week ad.

Create Content

Once you’ve got your strategy planned and ready to go, it’s time to actually create your content. An effective Facebook ad requires two things: an eye-catching photo or video and copy for your description.

For your photo or video, we recommend choosing something eye-catching from a previous or similar event. Make sure that your graphic shows potential customers what there is to love about your event. What makes your event special? The amazing food? The superstar talent? Or maybe you’re running a really great deal or giveaway! Whatever it is, choose one FOMO-worthy feature and focus on that. Then write a description that draws people in. We recommend keeping it short and sweet, and don’t forget your call to action!

If your having trouble coming up with ideas, checking out ads from your competition is a great way to keep yourself in the game with fresh ideas. Check out Facebook’s new Ads Library to check out active campaigns.

Target

Targeting is one of the most important pieces of creating an effective ad. What’s a great ad without the perfect people to show it to? When it comes to targeting your ad to the right people, there are a few things you should be thinking about:

Area – Targeting your ad to people who live close by.
Demographics – Targeting your ad to people who fit your audience demographics. This might mean targeting parents if your event is a family-friendly fair or targeting 21-35 year-olds if your event is a hip music festival.
Interests – Targeting your ad to people who have liked similar things on Facebook. This might mean targeting people who already like your Facebook page, have liked similar events in the past or even people who follow your concert talent or partners!

Don’t forget to retarget, retarget, retarget! It’s easy for people to get distracted online. Sometimes all they need is a nudge (or 3) in the right direction. Studies have shown that people are 80% more likely to respond to a retargeting ad than a regular campaign! Don’t take that number for granted. It’s one of the most important reasons Saffire recommends creating a campaign instead of running just one ad – and it can be extremely effective!

There are a few ways you can use retargeting to work in your favor including: retargeting people that have interacted with another ad in your campaign, retargeting people that have bought tickets to a past event using custom audiences and retargeting people that have been on your website recently.

Test, Refine & Do It Again

Finally, it’s time to let your ad run! Once your ad has been running for a day or two, you can check its performance in the Ads Manager. Over time, your analytics will be your guiding light to help you tweak your ads for the best results. Remember, Rome was not built in a day – and neither is a successful ad campaign. Testing and tweaking are the keys to figuring out your audience and creating ads the resonate.

If you’re still having trouble creating the perfect ad, have no fear! Saffire’s marketing team is available to help craft an ad that is just right for your event. Chat with your coach or salesperson to learn more about our ad services.

Spring Cleaning: How to Freshen Up Your Social Media this Season

For some of us, spring weather means one thing: spring cleaning! Many of us rush to clean out our homes, our offices or our closets, but don’t think about what spring cleaning can do for our business. As event marketers, we know how important social media can be for selling tickets. For us, spring cleaning … Continue reading “Spring Cleaning: How to Freshen Up Your Social Media this Season”

These chores are quick, but they will make your new profiles feel (to quote Ms. Marie Kondo) like a “spark of joy.”

Throw away old images

If your pages are filled with old logos, grainy header images or improperly sized photos – it’s time to throw them all away. Bad profile photos are a quick route to a sloppy and unprofessional feeling page. Luckily, this small change can make a huge difference in the way people view your profile. Take this time to make sure all of your profiles feature the same perfectly-sized logo, and that your images are nice, crisp and up to date. While you’re at it, look over your About sections and business descriptions. Make sure the text is current and consistent across all of your platforms.

If you haven’t changed your cover photos in over a year, it’s time to give your profiles a mini makeover. Cover photos are an opportunity to wow your audience with eye-catching photos and create a striking first impression. Even if your cover photo looks snazzy already, it’s a good idea to add a new photo every-so-often to give your page a fresh clean feel. Frequenting fans will notice.

Organize your fans and followers

Do you know who you follow on social media and who follows you? It’s important to make sure that you are following business partners, clients and important industry leaders. Not only does this ensure that you are up-to-date on industry news, it gives you another opportunity to engage with key connections.

Start with your list of partners and clients. Are you following the key players? Are they following you? If not, make sure to hit the follow button and start connecting. It’s not a bad idea to like a few recent posts if a page you are connected with is not following you back. Just don’t get too gung-ho. Spamming their page or appearing stalkerish is a no-no.

Then take a look at your general followers list. Are there any irrelevant or inactive accounts that you should unfollow? Anyone just outright inappropriate?

Now is also a good time to look at your demographics page. See if the demographic data is similar to that of your average customer. If not, now is a good time to tweak your content strategy to create relevant content and attract the audience that you want.

Dust off your strategies and goals

It can be easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind and lose sight of why you’re doing things in the first place. Everyone knows that posting on social media is important, but busy companies often forget to decide why. There are many ways social media can tie back to your organization’s overall mission. Is your intent simply to connect with customers? Provide customer service? Educate your clients? Maybe your goal is strictly to sell tickets online. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to select one (or a few). Then, create monthly or quarterly goals to serve as your guiding light.

A successful social media strategy will help your company connect with more customers, create brand loyalty – and yes, even sell more tickets! Focus on your organization’s overall goals. A social media strategy can help you begin to see a real impact with your efforts.

Focus your attention on de-cluttering your account this spring and make sure all your information is up to date. Then get busy sharing your fresh new content with your audience. We bet you’ll be happy you joined us for spring cleaning!

This article previously appeared in IFEA’s ie Magazine.

3 Ways to Get More Comments on Your Facebook Posts

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a trillion times: engagement on your Facebook posts is important. However, all engagement is not created equal. Lately, Facebook has been showing special treatment to posts with lots of comments by catapulting them to the top of our newsfeeds and awarding “Top Fan” and “Valued Commenter” badges. … Continue reading “3 Ways to Get More Comments on Your Facebook Posts”

It makes sense. There’s something special about posts that get people talking. While posts with a lot of likes perform well in the algorithm, stats show that posts with tons of comments get 4x more clicks!

That’s why encouraging comments is the top way to increase your visibility and customer engagement. Just make sure you’re not trying to game the system by using “engagement-bait” posts that Facebook counts as spam. (For example: “Tag 3 of your friends who would agree with this post!” or “Comment “YES” if you really love candy apples!”)

So, what should you do to create meaningful conversations in your comment sections?

Try These 3 Tips to Get More Comments on Your Facebook Posts:

Engage with and Reply to your Followers

Responding to your followers is an easy trick that so many organizations forget to do! Too many people spend time planning, creating and posting content then drop the ball when it comes to the fun part – engaging with and responding to fans! It is still social media, after all.

A study of more than 1,200 Facebook users found that personalized responses are more satisfying to the receiver than a simple Like. Think about it, who wants to talk to someone who never talks back? On top of that, you miss the opportunity to start conversations, create positive memories with your customers and possibly resolve customer service problems.

The juicy part is that Facebook wants you to reply to your followers, so they view your comments and your followers’ comments as equally important. That means if you reply to each and every comment on your post, you double your comment count and your opportunity to move up in the algorithm.

Ask authentic questions

Asking questions just works. Don’t get us wrong – asking spammy questions with no rhyme or reason is always a no-no, but asking real, genuine questions almost always gets great responses. Try asking your followers for recommendations or advice: “What is your favorite food to eat at the festival?” or “Which topping would you prefer, chocolate or bananas?”

The best thing about this tactic is not only that it encourages comments, but it also gives insight into the personalities and preferences of your customers.

Create Interactive Posts

Another great way to get people to interact with your posts is to craft posts that are fun and engaging. To do this, play games with your followers by asking them to engage in fun ways with your content. Remember to make it entertaining and easy! Here are some fun ideas to get you started:

Caption This
Fill in the blank
Would you rather
Poll
Guessing game

What type of tips have helped you get more comments? Stop by our Facebook page and drop a comment under this article!

How to Actually Sell Tickets with Email Marketing in 2019

Email marketing has been around pretty much since the internet was born. Social media and search engine ads have stolen some of its shine in recent years, but we still believe in the power of good ol’ email! Why? It’s (almost) free, it’s accessible and everybody on the internet has one! With so many people … Continue reading “How to Actually Sell Tickets with Email Marketing in 2019”

Email marketing has been around pretty much since the internet was born. Social media and search engine ads have stolen some of its shine in recent years, but we still believe in the power of good ol’ email! Why? It’s (almost) free, it’s accessible and everybody on the internet has one! With so many people using ad blockers and scrolling through their social feeds at the speed of light, email is also the perfect way to capture someone’s attention. Here’s the top ways to keep up with email trends that actually sell tickets in 2019:

Personalization and Segmentation

Millennials have spoken, and they want custom content. We’re talking about diving a little deeper than your standard email {!Contact.FirstName}. Huge digital companies like Amazon, Coca-Cola and the Austin City Limits Festival have changed the way we market by placing personalization at the center of their strategies. Think about how you react when an ad pops up in your inbox or newsfeed for something that you’ve already been lusting after for days. We’d bet your typical scroll reflex slows down and you’re much more likely to give it a click.

Next time you send out a marketing email, ask yourself if you’ve included these relevant contacts: Customers who have purchased tickets for the same or similar events, customers who have purchased merchandise, customers with abandoned carts, customers who have shown interest in the event on your website.

More importantly, think about who you SHOULDN’T include. Instead of sending every email to one giant list, segment your lists based on what each person is truly interested in. In other words, don’t waste your time sending kids story time emails to the rowdy 21+ crowd. While it may seem like you’re increasing your odds by increasing your reach, what you’re really doing is making it more likely for someone to opt-out, or worse, stop engaging with your event altogether.

Clear and Compelling Call to Action

If you want your reader to buy anything, you’ve got to create engaging calls to action that compel your readers to follow through right away. Once a reader clicks away – that’s it. You’ve pretty much lost them, at least for now.

Many people see the call to action as a one-line sentence or link at the end of your email (Buy Tickets, Sign Up, Follow Us). While that’s an important piece to the puzzle, remember that the rest of your email is important, too. No one ever buys something without a compelling “why.” What is it about your event that makes it a good use of their time? The delicious food? Great photo ops? A spectacular line up? Focus on one element and tell a really good story. Then hook them at the end. Storytelling is the best way to help people really connect with your brand, instead of just feeling like you’re trying to sell them something.

It’s All About the Follow-Up

Here’s the great thing about selling online: you can essentially chase down a potential customer without looking like a total creep. It’s easy for people to get distracted online. Sometimes what people need is just another nudge (or 4) to lead them in the right direction. Moz found that you can bring your conversion rate to up to 41%, compared to a 1-2% average by simply remarketing to customers who appear interested, but just haven’t bought yet.

Now, we’re not advocating for spamming people’s inboxes. Instead, what we’re talking about is using a well-timed, well-planned campaign to keep people thinking about your upcoming event. An email campaign for an upcoming festival might look something like this:

Email 1: Event announcement

Email 2: Early bird sale offer

Email 3: Line up announcement

Email 4: Second sale announcement

Email 5: Reminder: Two weeks left to buy tickets

Don’t forget to create an email for people who have abandoned their cart or who have high click & open rates but haven’t bought a ticket yet. It’s likely these people are interested, they may just need an additional nudge. You don’t have to follow up solely through email, either! Use retargeting to reach people who have recently purchased or engaged with your brand on their newsfeeds, Google search and using plain ol’ website banners.

Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Sales are the oldest trick in the book for a good reason: they work. This one’s old school, but we still believe that a good sale or giveaway is one of the best ways to sell tickets. Just make sure that the offer is valuable for both you and the client.

Email marketing is still one of the best tools to connect with your audience and sell tickets, but it will only work if you are creating relevant content and humanizing your brand.

How to Instantly Reply to Your Messages Using Instagram Quick Replies (With screenshots)

If you use social media to sell tickets or merch (and you should!), you know how easy it can be for your inbox to start exploding with DMs. Don’t get me wrong – a busy inbox is a good sign, but when you find yourself answering the same question over and over again, it doesn’t … Continue reading “How to Instantly Reply to Your Messages Using Instagram Quick Replies (With screenshots)”

If you use social media to sell tickets or merch (and you should!), you know how easy it can be for your inbox to start exploding with DMs. Don’t get me wrong – a busy inbox is a good sign, but when you find yourself answering the same question over and over again, it doesn’t take long to realize that your time is even more valuable. To fix this problem, Instagram rolled out the Quick Replies feature to cut down on the time it takes to respond to direct messages.

(To take advantage of the feature, make sure you are using an Instagram Business Account.)

What is Instagram Quick Replies?

Quick Replies make it easy to respond your Instagram messages in just a few taps. The feature is similar to Facebook’s Instant Replies, except the saved messages don’t send automatically. Quick Replies comes in handy when customers are most likely to start conversations, like when tickets go up for sale, an event is right around the corner or when a giveaway occurs. It can be a lifesaver when it comes to staying engaged with your followers!

Here’s how to use it:

Go to your Instagram profile page and select your direct messages in the top right corner.
Select a message.
Tap the plus button in the bottom menu.
Click on the quick reply button (a conversation bubble with three dots).
Select “New Quick Reply.”
Type your message, then click save.
To use your message, type your shortcode or tap the quick reply icon to select your message. Then click send.
You did it!

Say goodbye to hours spent replying to direct messages and answering the same questions over and over again. Quick Replies makes it easier than ever to quickly respond to direct messages – and as event planners know, in the middle of event season, every second counts!