Improving Your Facebook Page's Engagement Rate

It has been estimated that 30 billion pieces of content i.e. links, stories, blogs, pictures, etc. are shared on Facebook each and every month. Getting noticed is becoming ever more difficult as more marketers converge on this platform.
If you are involved with managing a Facebook page/presence, you will undoubtedly have asked yourself questions such as:

• When’s the best time to post?
• How often should I post?
• When are people engaging with our content?

A recent study conducted by Buddy Media (a Facebook marketing software company) has answered many of these questions by analysing a sample size of 200 clients for a two week period earlier this year. Below is a summary of their findings that we thought many of you might be interested in.

Post Length

Keep your message short and sweet! Posts shorter than 80 characters have a 27% higher engagement rate.

URL Shorteners

Asking your followers to click a shortened link (tinyURL, etc.) is a question of trust. By using a full-length URL, you are essentially tripling your engagement rate. If you must use URL shorteners, utilise brand-specific shorteners, e.g. http://org.int/234c.

Best Time to Post

It’s estimated that 60% of posts are published during office hours. Brands that post outside of these times usually enjoy a 20% higher engagement rate. This emphasises the idea that most people check their feeds outside of office hours, hence it represents the best time of engagement (early morning or late at night).

Best Day to Post

Buddy Media’s research indicates that engagement rates on Thursday and Friday are 18% higher than on other days of the week.

Fans Follow Instructions Well

The fundamental rule is to keep requests simple. Outright requests to “like”, “post”, “comment”, or “tell” you something will typically generate a response.

“Softer Sell” Keywords Work Best

If running a contest, sweepstakes, or promotion, the use of “softer sell” keywords such as “winner”, “win”, “event”, and “offer” will resonate better with your fans. Generating excitement rather than selling directly is more effective and increases your engagement rate.

Ask Questions at the End of Posts

The aim of a question is to invoke a response. Placing your question at the end of a post yields a 15% higher engagement rate than posts where question placement is near the beginning or middle of the post.

Final Thoughts

Many companies and businesses are now looking to Facebook to engage with their customers/clients. With the amount of posts generated each day, it’s very easy to be overlooked by your target audience. A well thought out marketing plan is only as good as its execution. We hope the above summary was helpful in maximising the returns of your efforts.