(Nearly) everyone is on Facebook. According to Pew Research Center , 68 percent of U.S. adults use Facebook. OK, that’s not exactly everyone, but it is the majority of Americans. If you want to connect to people, Facebook is an effective way of doing so.

For agents looking to reach more people, this social media giant should not be overlooked. Here’s how to increase your presence.

Stay Active

Opening a Facebook account isn’t enough. You have to actually use it.

It’s just like real life. If you never call or text your friends, and if you never arrange to hang out with them, you’ll eventually fade from their thoughts. Likewise, if you don’t post anything to your Facebook account, people will forget it exists – or never find it in the first place.

You need to post new material to your account regularly – which may make you wonder exactly how often is ideal. Once a week? Once a day? Twice a day?

According to HubSpot, the answer depends on the number of followers you have. If you have a lot – say 10,000 or more – you’ll get the best results if you post something once or twice a day. If you have fewer followers, you’ll want to post less often. Regardless, aim for a regular schedule, with at least one or two posts a week.

Engage with Others

Social media is supposed to be social. Don’t make it just about you! Engage with other people.

  • Connect with other people. Don’t just wait for people to find you. Actively work on making connections. There are two main ways to make connections on Facebook. You can follow a person or company page. You can also friend a person.
  • Like other posts. People love getting likes on Facebook. If you see something interesting or helpful, don’t hesitate to show your appreciation.
  • Comment on other posts. You might reply with additional information, your own opinion on a matter or simply a gesture of appreciation for the fantastic content. This can be a great way of widening your reach.

Share Great Content

If you post great content, people will quickly come to appreciate you as a great source of information and a trustworthy expert.

There are many types of content that you can post. The following tend to be well received:

  • Useful information, such as warnings, breaking news and important reminders
  • Funny posts, such as amusing cartoons
  • Inspirational posts, such as famous quotes
  • Visual posts, such as photographs and infographics

You don’t have to create all the content you post yourself – although you don’t want to plagiarize or take credit for material that isn’t yours, either.

One easy way to post great content is to share the great content you find. For example, PTT Financial regularly produces relevant content. You can share it a few different ways:

  • Go to the PTT Financial website and look at “Consumer Services” and click on “Articles for Consumers” or look at “Agent Services” and click on “Articles for Agents.” Find a post you want to share and copy the URL.
  • Go to the PTT Financial website and look at “Consumer Services” and click on “Articles for Consumers” or look at “Agent Services” and click on “Articles for Agents.” Find a post you want to share and click on the social media icon at the bottom. There are buttons for Facebook, as well as Twitter, Instagram and more.
  • Follow PTT Financial on Facebook. When you see a post you want to share, click the Share button.