How to Increase Social Media Engagement with Facebook 360 Photos

If your social media engagement on Facebook has taken a nosedive recently, you can thank the platform’s newest algorithm change. Since placing the posts of friends and family above those from publishers, it appears that many brands are experiencing extremely low engagement – some less than 1 percent.

If this resonates with you, then you are probably wondering what you can do to increase your social media engagement. Rather than resort to memes about political speeches or blatant promotional posts, how about creating unique content people actually care about. You can start with the new Facebook 360 Photos.

What are Facebook 360 Photos?

As the name implies, 360 Photos are 360-degree photographs you can share on Facebook. You simply take a panoramic photo using your mobile phone and upload it to your Facebook page. Users identify it as a 360 Photo by the compass on the right side of the image.

Turn a panoramic picture from your phone into a 360 Photo that is highly shareable.

The cool thing about Facebook 360 Photos is it allows the user to view more than what is shown in the original frame. Users can drag their finger left or right, up or down, to get a 360-degree view of the area where you took the photo. If you go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, for example, you can give viewers a look all around you, which is much more than you get with a single shot.

Using 360 Photos is an immersive experience. You can show a particularly beautiful area of your campus, highlight the activity at a construction site, or show off the attendance at a concert. Even though you provide the image, users are in control of what they see. This is what makes it a very good tool for improving social media engagement numbers. The more unique and interesting content you provide, the more likely it is users will share your posts with friends and family.

The Facebook 360 Photos tool is also something to consider as virtual reality (VR) becomes more mainstream. As of May 2016, Samsung’s Gear VR headset had more than 1 million active monthly users. Since the Gear VR is made by Oculus, which is owned by Facebook, Gear VR users can connect their headsets with their Facebook accounts and view 360 Photos just as they would from a mobile device or desktop.

Immersive experiences are in demand, but you don’t need sophisticated technology or an increase in your social media budget to drive engagement. You just have to shift your approach to delivering the type of content people care about and genuinely want to share.

Reach out with any questions you might have regarding how RSO can help you with your digital marketing.

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