Post in the mornings and weekends. Self promote. Don’t self promote. Hold contests and polls. Post images/video. Be personal. Give your brand its own voice. Share only original thoughts/ideas. Comment about others’ original thoughts/ideas.
I’ve heard a lot of varied information when it comes to “Facebook content strategies.” So here’s the official rei digital media conclusion:
There is no “best” strategy; only ideas that will help you find a strategy that is uniquely best for YOU. And that strategy will change over time.
No two businesses are alike. Their communities are different; they like different content.
Yes, more people have success posting updates on mornings and weekends . . . but some have more success posting during the day. You may be the minority.
It’s great to expand your knowledge and read the latest insights about Facebook and other social media. (Or trust your social media team, like us, to stay up-to-date on your behalf.) But you have put on your critical thinking cap and think about your business.
You may read a very compelling article that says you should never self promote on your Facebook page. And as a general rule of thumb, the focus of your page really shouldn’t be self promotion. But nobody knows your business like YOU. Nobody knows your audience like YOU. So you have to make that judgment call. This article by Jay Baer actually suggests that people age 35+ are more likely to expect promotional messages, and more women expect them than men. So if you are targeting 35+ women, maybe you should try promoting yourself a little bit more.
Or maybe not.
The best Facebook strategy, in our opinion, is NOT to have a set-in-stone-never-changing strategy. Your strategy should allow for flexibility. Here are some quick tips:
- Monitor your page (Facebook makes it so easy on us with that little “Insights” link!) See what works for you.
- Experiment often. Try new things — maybe from an interesting article you read, or even better, an original idea from your very own brain!
- Know your community. Don’t limit yourself to your target audience. The people who are actually talking about your brand and participating in your social pages may not be in line with your target market. If that’s the case, maybe you should reevaluate your target audience. But at the very least, you need to cater to your active community, not who you want your active community to be.
- Keep truckin’. It takes time to figure out what works best for you. And it changes. You may find that posting photos was working great six months ago. Now your likes are down 200%. So, STOP POSTING SO MANY DARN PHOTOS! Preferences change, and the only way your brand will survive on Facebook, or any other media, is if you adapt.
Break free from the 30-page, corporate strategies. They take months of work, and by the time they are completed, they are useless. Your audience won’t wait for you to change . . . they’re changing right now. Go! Adapt!
