With the recent publication of fresh new graphs and infographics showing Facebook's failings, let’s talk about how you may avoid a Facebook face-plant of your own. Here are seven pointers for developing fantastic Facebook content that will keep your audience interested and engaged.

1. Post Content that Interests Your Customers

Posting material that really fascinates your consumers or clients is the key to building a great fan page that creates fans and propels your brand ahead. Don't only concentrate on yourself or your company. By giving the reader useful information, you will strengthen your relationship with present and potential consumers. 

Red Bull recognises that its energy drink customers are likely to be interested in extreme sports, therefore they publish films that they know would appeal to them, even if they are unrelated to Red Bull.

2. Post a Variety of Content

Let's pretend you're the owner of a pet grooming business. You'll want to publish a range of things on your fan page, such as:

• Blog Posts - What's fresh and exciting in your company? Is it true that Spot the dog turned one this week?

• Images - capture images of your employees and customers in addition to photos of your store. Upload photos and photographs from events you've attended or organised, such as your dog's Best in Show.

• Videos – do I even need to tell you how many lovely cat videos there are on the internet?

• Press Releases – let clients know about the modifications and changes you've done.

3. End Every Post With a Question

I don't want to come out as a scrooge, but the fact is that people are rather self-centred. If you greet your fan page visitors by name and urge them to participate, they are far more likely to pay attention and comment to your articles.

Adding questions to your Facebook postings is an excellent method to do this. If you combine a link with a question or a call to action, you'll receive more interaction and a better reaction than if you merely publish a link. With each post you make, you should try to elicit as much discussion as possible.

 

Ben & Jerry know how to get their customers chatting.

You might add a link to an article with “Five Tips for Cutting Your Dog's Nails at Home” to go along with our pet grooming example (trust me, this is not easy). Include a question below the link, such as "Do you have any specific tips for keeping your dog relaxed?"

4. Don’t Post Too Frequently

According to a study conducted by the University of Colorado Denver Business School, the most common reason people delete Facebook friends is because they are annoyed by being constantly bombarded with irrelevant posts (if you want to reduce your friend count, simply download a couple of Zynga games).

Putting your face on a fan's news feed isn't going to make them like you any more. Make each and every post count!

5. Allow Fans to Write on Your Wall

This may seem self-evident, but you must allow people to write on your wall. Because the whole idea of being on Facebook is to engage in discourse with consumers, disabling this function means you might as well not have a fan page at all.

6. Don’t Share Twitter Posts on Your Facebook Page

You're speaking to a variety of people who have varied wants and expectations. It's acceptable if you want to post an announcement on Facebook and Twitter, but rewrite it suitably. Remove the #&@s if you don't want folks to assume you're saying something rude.

7. Use Contests, But Use Them in Moderation

Of course, we must not overlook contests, which are the lifeblood of fan pages. Contests are excellent, but they should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rather than the norm.

Pumpkin coffee and apple cider are great fall reminders because you can't buy them any other time of year. Similarly, don't hold contests so frequently that they lose their appeal.

8. Get Creative With the Contests

To increase fan interaction, try holding an essay, photo, or video contest. Seasonal events, such as a "Best Pumpkin Carving" or "Cutest Pet Costume" contest for Halloween, are fantastic additions. Wildfire is an excellent tool for creating interactive content like as competitions, quizzes, and surveys.

Boo the adorable dog would win any contest. Because he is just too adorable.

If you host a social media picture contest, tag your customers in the post so that it shows on their walls as well. By reaching out to friends of your followers, you're expanding your area of influence.

9. Try Selecting a Monthly Topic

Choosing a fresh theme for each month is one approach for keeping followers interested. Discuss the issue and provide connections to sources that discuss it.

Having a different topic each month shows that you have a consistent online presence, which makes you look much more intriguing (even if deep down you are incredibly dull). That takes us to our final point...

Be Interesting!

After purchasing a PS3, I opted to subscribe to the @AskPlaystation feed, which offers intriguing information on issues like how to clean your PS3 and how to keep it ventilated. To be fair, there is a support stream for customers. But, boy, is it tedious. 

It's fascinating.

Nobody wants to look at a dull Facebook profile, and I mean nobody. There are some situations where a professional demeanour is required, but such attitude will just come off as boring on Facebook.

Hopefully, these pointers have sparked some ideas for creating intriguing and engaging material for your Facebook friends! Please share the love.

What are your best Facebook content-creation techniques and tricks?