There’s no denying that Facebook is a fast-moving stream of activity. And if you’re a Facebook page admin, you probably already know that page posts receive optimal visibility for a short amount of time. Just how short? According to recent data from Socialbakers, a Facebook page post gets half of its reach within just 30 minutes of being published.
“Socialbakers’ data shows a dramatic drop-off in share of reach after the first 10 minutes, when posts got one-third of their total reach,” according to MarketingCharts. “In the 11-20 minute period after publication, posts reached an estimated additional 13.2% of their total audience, while in the following 10-minute period, they reached just another 4.7% of their total audience. By the time 90 minutes had passed, the average post was reaching less than 2% of its total audience.”
This data underscores an important lesson: your Facebook content strategy needs to reflect this fast pace of activity (not to mention users’ short attention spans). This is exactly why you don’t plan your strategy to be two Facebook posts a day. That, combined with around 16% total reach, means that lots of high-quality content is what you need to keep an audience engaged and to derive any real benefit from your page.
How much content? Well, your audience will help dictate the pace and frequency of your page activity, which is why it’s imperative to stay tuned into data like your Facebook insights so that you publish enough to keep your audience interested yet not enough to overwhelm them. Plus, it might be a good idea to do a little experimenting with features like Promoted Posts, which is a great way to get more eyes on a particular piece of content if you’d prefer not to pursue Facebook advertising. And speaking of experimenting, try different post types, too, such as fill-in-the-blank statements or questions, video, photos and polls, to name a few.
Whether or not you opt to add paid Facebook tools to your digital marketing toolbox, keep in mind that the success of your Facebook page comes down to content. If you’re selling something, don’t just focus on your products or services. Instead, intersperse that information with fun and/or informative posts that keep your audience up-to-date and entertained. Managing a corporate Facebook page? Use the site to showcase the personal side of your company. After all, every business or brand has a story—and Facebook is an effective tool with which to distribute that information.
Have you discovered an optimal number of Facebook posts for your particular page? We’d love to hear your experience.
Image by jDevaun via Creative Commons
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”