Sharing other people’s posts on Facebook is quick, easy, and shows that you are supportive of your fellow business owners and their marketing efforts. However, recent changes to Facebook have made it so that if you are simply sharing other people’s content without somehow making it unique and personal for your audience, it actually hurts you more than it helps them. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share other people’s posts about sales, events, new products, etc., you just need to share more wisely.

Tips on Sharing Facebook Posts

• Try to start a conversation about what you’re sharing. When you share someone else’s post with your audience, say something about it that is going to help your audience connect to that information. For example, if it’s a new product post that you’re sharing, you could say something like, “I’m so excited they have this stain remover in stock! I haven’t found anything that works better for removing stubborn grass stains from my son’s school clothes. Has anyone else tried this product or maybe something better?”
• Instead of sharing someone else’s post with no added commentary, personalize the post. Share the same news, but do so in your own words. Or share something unique in addition to the news about the sale, event, or new product. Talk about your personal experience with the business or the brand. You could go take your own photo of the business or some of your favorite products from the business and post that along with the news. Remember, anything that is unique, personal, and provides value for your audience will benefit you and the fellow business you are helping to promote.
• If the product (or sale or event) is not something that would interest your audience, then you probably shouldn’t share it with them. If your audience has little interest in what you share with them, you won’t get the engagement you're looking for on your posts. Facebook keeps track of how many of your posts get likes, shares, or comments. If you frequently share content that gets little to no engagement, Facebook will stop showing your posts in people’s feeds. Then, when you want to post something original promoting your own business, Facebook will remember that most of your posts typically get very little engagement and won’t show your own post content to many people. Yikes!

Worth Going the Extra Mile

There’s a famous quote that says something like, “Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.” We all know that content creation is time-consuming (and it doesn’t help that the rules are constantly changing). However, the businesses that are getting ahead are the ones that are working hard at creating unique, engaging content. Challenge yourself to set aside a block of time in your schedule and create some fresh, engaging content for your audience and see if it makes a difference in your business.

You can...do it!
Elizabeth Collins

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Chinese Proverb