Competition is always at a high when it comes to Facebook marketing, and it is apparent that whilst the overall social strategy is important, each and every individual post is an art of marketing in itself.
So how do you create the perfect post for Facebook? Well, there are a few ways – and we have put together a four point plan to put your business and brand at the forefront of Facebook’s everywhere.
#1. Consider Your Message.
When it comes to content, it is notoriously hard to please everyone all of the time. However, because of this, Facebook introduced advanced targeting, allowing you to create a different message for each audience.
With this, you can crate super specific copy that truly reaches out to those you wish to, sparking a light on their ever-full timeline, increasing chances of interaction and engagement.
When putting together content, think about the type of interaction you are looking to gauge from your audience. Are you looking for an answer to a question? A topical debate? Opinion on products? Have the answer to these in mind before you post, to ensure a fruitful outcome. Also – don’t be afraid to tag people in your post. Everyone likes to feel included now and then!
#2. Consider Your Image.
Okay, okay. We know it’s a cliché – but a picture really is worth a thousand words! With the rise of Instagram and Pinterest hot on it’s heels – this sentiment really sticks when it comes to social.
Images are very much an important part of your brand marketing strategy, with more and more companies setting aside specific budgets for the creation of imagery/infographics especially for social media.
However, if you are a smaller business, you need not worry about setting aside budgets – look at setting aside some quality time (and quality images!) instead.
When posting images, always make sure they are of high quality, ideally with a 403px by 403px, as that way if you ‘pin’ your post if needed. Also remember that the largest size picture that Facebook will display in a slide show is 960px by 720px.
Don’t be afraid to create and merge images too – create “either/ors” (which can be done in “Paint” if you are an image amateur and not sure where to begin) or collage’s of images to really get your point across. The more imaginative it is always going to be better than anything bland.
#3. Consider Your Targeting.
Since Facebook rolled out their advanced targeting (which we mentioned briefly earlier in this post) to pages with more than 5000 likes, brands really have got the chance to provide a fuller and richer experience to each and every fan they have.
Targeted posts can now be grouped by the following:
| Age | Gender | Relationship Status | Language | Education | Workplace |
| Interests | Geographic Location |
By providing super specific messages to your audiences, you cut down on the amount of social “noise” that clogs up timelines everywhere, and ensures that you are getting noticed by the right people at the right times.
Also, by filtering your posts by these categories, it becomes much easier to manage their edgeRank overall.
#4. Consider Your Timing.
The “Two T’s” of Facebook, arguably the two most important things when it comes to posting – Targeting and Timing.
Imagine a room full of people, all talking at once, and trying to shout above them. A fairly fruitless task, i’m sure you would agree. Now wait for the noise to die down, and address everyone when there is little else to be heard. People sit up and listen.
Social Media is just like that room. Try to post at ‘different’ times of day, or when users are most active. For instance, if you have a nice-non-corporate read, or a funny cartoon to share, posting in the evening when users are settling down in front of the television and catching up on Facebook, it is undoubtedly going to be seen, and not missed in the chatter of the 9-5’ers.
Of course, opinion is split on when the ‘optimum’ time is to post; so the best way to decide is to consider your audience. If you are looking to focus on Mums with school children, posting during ‘school run’ times are going to be missed. However, if you are targeting teenagers in late school/college years, post-school/college or lunch times are a great time to post.
If you find yourself short on time for posting, or know you aren’t by a computer/mobile etc, invest in a social media management tool such as Hootsuite, where scheduled posts can be added and posted when required.
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