Some people are just really good at connecting and communication on social media platforms. They are practicing techniques that win and they have a knack for it.

Not everyone does. 

However, for those of us who are not natural people magnets, the methods that work can be practiced and learned. These techniques may not make us equal with the "kings of social media", but they can get us into a much better place than we are now.

Facebook marketing beginners will especially need to work on this skill. People that are brand new to Facebook will not know the exact best methods for connecting with other networkers.

Social networking is all about engagement. A lot of new beginner Facebook marketers are not fully keen on or aware of that yet. It is however something that we will be concentrating on throughout this guide.  

It's all programmed in, and it's the engagement that triggers the algorithm. They call this your "reach". Get your reach to go up or expand, and more people are seeing your content. That becomes the objective.

I think it's important to specify now that we are talking about "organic" Facebook marketing, or the free side of Facebook. There is also a side of Facebook that is paid advertising, and things are vastly different on the paid ads side.

That is an altogether different subject though for a different day.

These Facebook beginners are not certain how it can benefit their business and their marketing efforts.  Ensuring that posts get positioned high on news feeds and seen by more people is the goal. And that comes from knowing how to please the algorithm.

Facebook engagement increases your posts positioning and length of time in newsfeed. It’s not so much anymore about the number of contacts you have. That's the way it used to be. But now it's more about  the engagement of the ones you do have. How many are “talking about this”.

To get more likes, comments, and shares on Facebook you need to post in a conversational, inspirational, educational, motivational, or humorous manner. Negativity, whining, and link bombing (here’s my link buy my stuff) will get you nowhere.

If you post like a spammer people will run from you. Or worse, you will get blocked from the very people you need to connect with.

No one wants to get blocked or unfriended. So learn how to post in a way that attracts others. I mentioned above that some people are just naturals at attraction marketing. But for those that are not it really is a skill that can be learned.

A big part of Facebook marketing is leading by example. This goes for beginners and pros. Show your friends how to take the high road. They will learn from you and become loyal followers.

This is an area that a lot of Facebook marketing beginners may need to improve upon. I know that I sure did when first getting started. But if you can correct the bad habits early in your career then you won't remain a beginner for long!

Providing value within your Facebook marketing will create engagement with the right kind of people. Quality content consists of educational posts and training material. Consider conversational topics, surveys, questions, and asking for opinions.

It doesn't make any sense. Facebook marketers, and even beginner Facebook marketers, must learn right away the importance of creating conversation and engagement.

Instead, engage yourself with others and their posts too. Jump into conversations…comment and engage yourself and make friends. Congratulate people on their achievements and tell them they are doing a good job.

When you engage this way it becomes a two-way conversation which keeps it going. This engagement is what Facebook picks up on.

Get to know other business owners and leaders, regardless if you consider them a prospect or not. In fact don’t even judge others as prospects or as to how they can help you. Rather think about how you can help them, or how you can learn from them.

So you see, it does not matter if you are a Facebook marketing beginner or a Facebook marketing pro, it's all about the networking and the engagement.

It’s perfectly ok to talk about your business, if done tactfully. Like everything else there’s a right way and a wrong way.

Unfortunately most Facebook beginners struggle with this one at first.

The wrong way is spam.  “Here’s my link buy my stuff” or “here’s my link join my deal” is definitely NOT the way to say hello. Neither is dropping links without being asked. That will get you nowhere fast.

Tell them who you are and what you are about. If there are common interests the conversation will find it's way to your business. Then you can tell them why they should buy your stuff or join your deal.

And I don’t mean random spammy features and benefits of the program. I mean why they should buy from YOU, or why they should join YOU.

And as I mentioned above, this is one area that is easy to spot the beginner Facebook marketers. It just seems natural when first getting started to throw your biz and your links out there. 

But don't worry, it won't take long to realize there is a better way.

Videos are excellent for creating engagement in the form of likes, shares, and comments. Particularly personal videos but also newsworthy and educational or inspirational videos as well.

At the same time you can show them your strengths and your weaknesses. When you get real like that people can and will relate to you. And they will get to know you better and become real friends.

Maybe talk about how you solved a problem, or how you provided a solution to someone else's problem. People like to hear about others overcoming the odds and figuring things out.

Share how you got started, what you had to learn, and how you learned it. Did you read and study? Did you happen across a video that moved you? Maybe you partnered up with a mentor, or joined a team that included training.

Perhaps there was a course that you took, or a class that you attended. Share how you now want to teach others what you have learned. Share your experiences to empower others.

This is how you will gain followers, and likes and share and comments. It's Facebook networking, aka Facebook marketing.

When you are going to meet a prospect, or attend a training webinar, or seminar, or traveling to a company event or mastermind, take social media with you on the journey.

Include them on what you are learning and being trained on. Share what you are getting out of it and how you are benefiting, and how they could benefit also.

Introduce them to your new friends and family. Take them on your journey and show the way.

This is Facebook marketing at it's finest. Instead of just saying hey I did this and did that, take your contacts with you. Tell them you are about to do this or you are on your way to do that.

Bring them along for the ride. Include them and make it about them as much as about you. This will paint your vision that they can see themselves included in as well.

Any Facebook marketing beginner will notice a huge uptick in their results by practicing these simple suggestions.

More friends seeing, commenting, and sharing your posts which leads to more "friends of friends" seeing your posts.

The more engagement you get, the wider your reach will get. The wider your reach gets, the more engagement you are going to get. And so you see… this can benefit your Facebook marketing a great deal.

You just need to put it into action.

So be personal, friendly and helpful, and provide useful content with your Facebook marketing. It will take you a long way. And if you are a Facebook marketing beginner I sincerely hope you got some value from this post.

And after Facebook's recent announcement, those doing it wrong are in danger of getting their pages dinged. Or worse yet their accounts.

... in fact it is pretty darn smart and getting smarter every day. They know what's going on and they know what people are doing when they bait for engagement.

And based upon the feedback of the majority of users, that are taking action.

Facebook has decided to do just the opposite. They will begin penalizing people and pages that are baiting for engagement. ​That is exactly why you should avoid Facebook engagement baiting at all costs.

So the baiters really are not creating engagement that leads to more people seeing their posts. Getting dinged as a baiter by Facebook is causing a lower reach, not a higher one.

The model can more easily detect the engagement bait activities. Those posts will now show less, not more. In addition, chronic abusers' future posts will be negatively affected.

At the time of their announcement, over the next several weeks would be the roll-out of this user-level demotion. That will most likely put it in full operation as of now.

If you are one who is participating in these Facebook engagement baiting methods consider this your warning.

Keep reading we are about to tell you EXACTLY what engagement baiting is, and what to do instead.

First let me say this. There is a disclaimer. Facebook is not trying to penalize or discourage authentic and legitimate posts. Not at all. They want to reward those who are doing it right.

Facebook's goal is not to take the fun out of your experience. Nor are they trying to make it more difficult for you to market your business or your brand in any way. In fact just the opposite.

They want to provide the best user experience possible. They just need you to be genuine and not revert to tactcs that try to circumvent the system.

The baiting tactics go against that objective. They want you to post content that is authentic and relevant to your business or your message, and that has value. This benefits everyone.

So ... back to explaining what Facebook engagement baiting is. Baiting for engagement is a method of goading people into engaging on posts using valueless and irrelevant content to increase their reach on News Feed.

And according to Facebook a lot of users are sick of it. They have watched these tactics go around for too long now.

The result: users are marking those posts as spam. The next result? Facebook is putting a stop to it.

Personally, am not at all surprised to see Facebook taking this action. My only surprise is that it took this long.

Some will question this move. After all, these type posts can be amusing and entertaining. But to a business owner or a person trying to market something, surely they will choose to conform to the wishes of the majority of their audiences. And the feedback from those audiences doesn't lie.

The 5th Facebook engagement baiting method is share baiting. Using a gift or a reward in exchange for sharing a post is to Facebook a form of engagement bait.

It's perfectly okay to ask your audience to share your content if they consider it valuable or helpful to others. But not to receive a gift.

The bottom line is this. Facebook algorithm is smart and getting smarter all the time. If you are posting simply to entice likes, comments, shares, or reactions, no matter how well disguised you think it is, your content will be seen less, not more.

If you are asking questions that you could really care less what the answer is, in an attempt to trick the algorithm, you're better off not doing it.

Facebook is trying to create a better more valuable News Feed for everyone. They consider those tactics counter-productive to their goals.

Besides, are the Facebook engagement baiting techniques mentioned above really helpful to your business, your brand, or your cause anyway?

Creating curiosity in your posts is far more effective. So is asking questions. If those posts are also providing honest value and benefits then you have a double win.

Try to stimulate a readers thought waves enough to encourage engagement.. If you can draw them into a conversation or entice questions back you are achieving your need for engagement.

Putting genuine thought into your posts, and delivering useful and helpful content will provide more satisfactory results for you, your reader, and your business.

Provide education, inspiration, and motivation. Throw some humor and entertainment into the mix and you are well on your way to creating a real following. No baiting required.

Facebook engagement is the interaction that occurs between users. Most prominently on their posts in News Feed. Facebook rewards users that are creating engagment with better reach, allowing more friends to see their posts.

Unfortunately, in their quest to gain more of this engagement, often times users are practicing what Facebook refers to as engagement baiting, which they do not endorse.

As a result, they have made an announcement that the engagement baiting will be means for penalizing as opposed to rewarding. Those doing the baiting will get fewer friends seeing their posts, not more friends seeing their posts.

We have provided you with an explanation of the 5 main engagement baiting post types, along with examples. We have also made suggestions of more preferred methods of getting engagement. 

Facebook engagement baiting is not worth getting your pages and accounts penalized. There are better more effective and more efficient methods for creating engagement while showing yourself as a leader and an authority figure that others will happily follow.

Thank you ... we appreciate your interest in the subject. Hopefully we achieved a better understanding for you on what Facebook engagement baiting is and why you should avoid it.

Please leave us a comment if you have any questions. And we would love to hear if you received value from the post.

Resource: Facebook News: Fighting Engagement Bait on Facebook​