Remember “Show and Tell” day in kindergarten? The combination of bringing an object from home and telling others about it was fun for everyone involved. In fact, the fun was more often about the object and less about the story. You could bring a mason jar full of cool-looking rocks from your backyard (not that I did that or anything) and it was interesting, no matter what you had to say about them.

But what if you didn’t bring an object to “Show and Tell”? Could you go up to the front of the class and say, “I have this really cool jar at home, full of rocks from my backyard!” and get the same amount of interest? Probably not.

The same concept applies to your Facebook page. If your focus is solely on the “tell”, you’re missing out on a key benefit of social media - the opportunity to “show” customers multiple sides of your business.

Posting a photo gallery, video, or relevant link does a few things in the eye of your audience: catches their eye in an ever-active News Feed, reminds them of your expertise in your field, and grants a “sneak peek” at the human side of your business. The more content you’re able to show your fans, the more they feel they know you - this leads to brand loyalty, and loyalty is the most precious of customer virtues.

Worried that your business has nothing exciting to “show”? Take a chain of local dry cleaning businesses. The obvious route of “tell” posts include updates on promotions, hours of operation, or details on the cleaning systems used. Informative and relevant, yes, but they can be taken up a notch. Post photos of employees using the presses, a “how-to” video on at-home stain removal, or even a link to an article about the benefits of eco-friendly dry cleaning. These posts raise interest, boost engagement, and familiarize your business to your customers. (Still can’t think of relevant, outside-the-box content for your page? Call us.)

A bonus of posting photos, videos, links, etc. to your Facebook page? Increased possibility of that content being shared by your fans. Latest statistics from Facebook show that more than 30 billion pieces of content are shared by users each month. (That’s billion, with a “b”.)

Now, this is not to say that posting a picture is more important than a strong message and clear voice. Rather, it’s about finding the sweet spot between showing and telling to give your audience the most well-rounded picture of your business.

Bringing out the “show” in your Facebook “Show and Tell” not only allows your existing fans insight to multiple sides of your business (thus building loyalty and engagement), it also increases the likelihood of that content spreading to potential new fans. If you post content that’s interesting and relevant to your business, it’ll endear your business to users.

Even if it’s just a mason jar full of rocks.