Content Strategy on Social Media: How to be successful on Facebook with relevant content

Content Strategy on Social Media: Facebook

Finding marketing success on Facebook is possible, but it requires some work. Which content formats are suitable for companies? What can you do when you have no original content? The answers are available in this new blog article.

Almost every company is on Facebook, and the growth of this popular social media platform seems as strong as ever, with all age groups represented. But before you decide what content to use to build a successful Facebook presence, you should first conduct a thorough analysis of your goals and audience. This is an essential strategy prior to any Facebook commitment. Next, you should also develop an editorial plan covering your activities during the first few months.

Listen and test

Your content on Facebook must be relevant to your target audience, and new topics, information and content should be used to communicate with your users on an emotional level. This applies to both organic articles and advertisements. However, too many advertising messages will scare off even the most loyal fans of your brand. So here is a basic rule: Listen to your (potential) fans very carefully. You should analyze which topics are influencing your target group, but even if you listen closely and plan perfect content, you will still need to conduct a certain amount of “Trial & Error.” Experiment with different types of posting, monitor and analyze your community’s responses, and then continue to modify and develop your content accordingly. Facebook analyses for monitoring purposes are available under the “Insights” tab on your Facebook page. There, you will be able to see which contributions were particularly well received and when interactions took place most frequently on your site.

What content formats are suitable for Facebook?

• You can use text to tell a little story, and storytelling is the keyword. A pure text contribution alone is less noticeable and runs the risk of getting lost in the communication stream generated by your users. To avoid this, you should choose a stimulating heading, use terms that are relevant to your community, and write using a clear and coherent style. Even if it is “only” a Facebook post, you should still proofread your work thoroughly to avoid typing errors. Typically, you would finish your text with a call-to-action, perhaps posed as a question, which increases the likelihood that your fans will interact with the post. It’s not appropriate to use a “please share” request here.
• Use links to guide fans to your blog or website where you are in control and don’t have to adapt your content to social media platform rules. The description is a short descriptive text about your website that Facebook displays under your page heading. Rework this text if necessary, and before publishing, check to make sure your website is previewing correctly and decide whether you want to upload a new preview image. If the user clicks on a link, they then leave your Facebook page, and it’s not guaranteed that they’ll engage with your post on their return, or like or comment on it.
• Photos are a great way of attracting attention to your topics, and you have the option to post individual photos or a whole album. You can also expand a photo album at a later date, and when you upload additional pictures, you will be informed about users who have previously liked your images. Be sure to check the quality of your photos, although a snapshot can be slightly blurred if this suits your topic, of course. As a general rule, you should carefully choose and perhaps edit your photos. Remember to add a descriptive caption text to each photo. Another variant is a scrolling photo-carousel in which several photos appear side by side. This slideshow generates a video sequence that runs for up to 15 seconds and displays anything from 3 to 10 pictures.
• Moving images are eye-catchers that will engage the attention of most users. Facebook will automatically launch videos provided the user has not turned off AutoPlay. Facebook videos should be short and crisp, and they can incorporate a simple time-lapse feature. Few users will have the patience to view clips of more than 30 to 60 seconds. Choose funny and emotional content, or create high-quality and entertaining explanatory videos. Ideally, your videos should function effectively even without sound.
• With graphics or infographics, you can present abstract and complex facts in a clear and comprehensible manner. Your target group should be able to quickly capture the content and redistribute the infographics. However, the effort required to produce a high-quality graphic should not be underestimated, and in addition, search engines cannot read any text they contain, so no effective links can be inserted.
• Animated GIFs have become popular because they are entertaining and easy to digest. Tools such as Imgflip or Giphy  can be used to create GIFs.
• Using live streaming with “Facebook Live”, and more recently with 360-degree live video, you can now report on company events, concerts and sporting events. Take care to use suitable lighting and audio quality, and ensure you employ a stable internet connection for interference-free transmission.
• You can easily create events on Facebook and invite your fans along. This could be either an offline company event or otherwise a virtual event. For example, a publisher could nominate an International Children’s Book Day, which would be very likely to prompt interactions because people enjoy talking about their childhood memories.

What topics can you use if you can’t find original content? Here are some ideas:

• Share relevant posts about your topics from other sources, which can have the positive side effect of strengthening your relationship with influencers. This type of content strategy also builds your expert status.
• Answer some frequently asked questions about your products or services. Ask your colleagues in sales or customer service for inspiration.
• You could also, for example, have a recurring content format in which you explain a specific term every week.
• Feature an employee with a particular role or an interesting hobby. This could perhaps be achieved as a look behind the scenes on a typical day at the office or undertaken during a trade fair presentation.
• Conduct a survey that gives you feedback on your content, or ask your fans an open question.
• Conduct a video interview with an expert, customer or fan, or present the footage as a podcast.
• Announce a competition or host some kind of contest. In the latter case, you must be aware of the legal framework and comply with Facebook’s policies.
• Publish a beautiful quotation that fits well with your topic, e.g. as a box meme.

Strategically using fun content like memes can increase your social media success.

You should mix different content formats for individual posts. For instance, your text contribution could be supplemented by a photo, graphic or link.

When and how often should you post on Facebook?

Even though there are many studies on this subject, there are no fixed rules governing the optimum frequency – it is always up to the individual. Your topics and content will usually determine a specific frequency, and you should choose a middle road between annoying your fans and becoming forgotten. If you have an event or a new product launch, you can then post more frequently.

You can discover the ideal frequency and appropriate timings for your posts by testing and then monitoring and evaluating the results. In general, professional activities tend to gain most attention during the late afternoon and evening.

Important tip: You should react as soon as possible to any comments and interactions. Your response is measured and displayed on Facebook as a response rate and response time. Therefore, you should consider carefully whether to schedule your contributions for times when no one is likely to be monitoring your site.

Facebook regularly updates its news feed algorithm, so despite good posts and a stable fan base your organic reach can change over time. Although organic reach has reduced in the last few years, you can pay to promote your own contributions, draw attention to your site, or increase your reach for a particular event. In the case of Facebook ads, you should carefully select your target audience using demographic information, and you can also specify when your ad should appear. To do this, it will be helpful if you have previously evaluated your site statistics to establish when your target audience is usually online. And to make sure your costs don’t get out of hand, you can even specify a maximum daily budget.

Conclusion

Facebook success is not sorcery, but it also won’t look after itself. Always keep your target audience and their interests in mind and ensure you deliver relevant and varied content. Take the time to look after your community and communicate with your fans.

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