With more than one billion users on Facebook, it is easy to see why this is the social media platform that businesses are desperate to be found on. Facebook offers many opportunities and possibilities for businesses, but there is a need to take Facebook promotion seriously and properly. Facebook marketing and promotion are not the same as marketing in the everyday business world. There is a need to be respectful of the fact that people view Facebook as a place to hang out with friends.
The clue is in the name of social media, but it is possible for businesses to promote themselves successfully on Facebook.
Some of the things that you would like to know to improve your Facebook engagement include:
- What is the best time of day to post on Facebook?
- Is there a best day of the week to post on Facebook?
- How many times should you post in a day or week?
- How long should your posts be?
- Are there keywords I can use to encourage engagement?
All of these questions will differ for different businesses, so you should always bear in mind who your audience is. For instance, a business that is aimed at a local audience should post at different times than a business that is hoping to appeal to clients that are in a different market.
By and large, the most popular time for people using Facebook is in the evening after traditional working hours. It, therefore, makes sense to add updates at this time. However, 7 pm in London in the United Kingdom is 2 pm in New York. This would not be a good time to post if you hope to engage with a local audience, but if you are reaching out to a United Kingdom audience, it may be the optimum time.
Posting Schedule
With respect to the day of the week, it is best to post on; there isn’t too much variance, although anecdotal evidence suggests that Wednesday and Sunday are more popular days. There will always be an audience online, but if you share a target audience with a particular event, it may be best to tie your posts around that. If you want to reach out to sports fans, posting when there is a live sporting event on TV can help you to engage with Facebook users.
With respect to posts per day, you should limit yourself to one or two posts a day. Any more than this runs the risk of annoying your Facebook followers, which could see them disconnect from your page, or they may start to ignore what you have to say. Oversaturation can be worse for your business that under saturation.
Post Length and Format
With respect to post saturation, keep your posts snappy. Just because Facebook allows you to write more than you can on Twitter doesn’t mean that you should. Short and relevant posts receive more engagement than long-winded posts. Also, mix it up with images and videos. These draw people in and often result in more engagement and sharing, which in turn helps to build your company’s fan base. Also, remember that not every post should be about making a sale or raising a call to action; some posts should be about having fun and engaging with people. Comment on what’s happening in the world around you. Don’t just post about your product or services.
With regards to content and getting people to take action, you will find that “money-off,” “coupon,” and “discount” are the terms that will encourage more engagement. It is important to remember that Facebook promotion and marketing are not completely different from other forms of promotion!
Best Practices for increasing Facebook engagement
When it comes to offering a genuine service, the following tips should be useful:
- Chat and engage more than you sell
- Ask questions to encourage interaction
- Post original content, not just shared jokes and memes
- Be genuine and authentic
- Give away freebies to show appreciation for your followers
Facebook marketing isn’t difficult, and it can be a lot of fun. However, you should take care to approach it in a different manner than how you would undertake other marketing campaigns.
Moxee Marketing is a London-based digital marketing agency. We help our clients, whether based in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the globe, meet and exceed their digital goals and objectives across various channels.
