5 things that trump engagement on Facebook

While engagement is imperative, it’s not everything. Every marketer and page administrator knows the importance and value of engagement, but few recognize what other components take precedence.

Here are five things—vastly more important than any like or comment—that people often overlook:

1. Platform relevance

Facebook is not a one-size-fits-all social network. It’s a great platform, but it’s not for every business. It takes both a resource and time investment to have a good Facebook fan page, but people spend most of their time and resources trying to justify their page’s value through different measures of analytics.

Before you get discouraged because page engagement is low and insight reports show more red arrows than green, ask yourself: “Do I know where my audience is?” and “Is Facebook the best platform to use?”

The audiences of small niche businesses often have a greater presence elsewhere. Take a young yarn company, for example. Instead of jumping on Facebook in the hope of engaging with a marginalized market, they would be better off on platforms like Pinterest or Raverly, a popular online knitting and crocheting community.

2. Geographic targeting