People on Facebook are tired, busy, bored, hungry and utterly bombarded with a wall of chatter from friends, acquaintances and brands. They don’t have more than a few seconds to glimpse a message, mentally shrug, and move on. Brands need to use every means at their disposal to catch people’s attention, and draw them in. Here is a study by track social on Optimizing Facebook Engagement.
Track Social recently conducted the largest known comprehensive study of Facebook posting activity by major brands. Their Optimizing Facebook Engagement white paper, available for download here and includes surprising new insights and accompanying charts ranging from the best time of day to post to the most compelling kinds of content. All this new data comes together in 10 Keys to Optimizing Facebook Engagement.
Individually most of the methods of increasing engagement have a modest impact that varies from brand to brand. When added together though as part of an ongoing consistent program the effect can be pronounced.
“Optimized” posts (Photo Posts, with a message smaller than 140 characters, posted out of business hours) allow as much a 100% improvement in engagement levels.
1. Get to the point with short, punchy statements. Try to stay below 100 characters.
Turns out Twitter got it right. There is a distinct roll-off in Engagement level beyond 140 characters. Stick to 100 characters or less for the most impact.2. Where possible, let images do the talking.
Photos far outperform other types of Posts (Statuses, Videos, etc.) in driving Likes and Comments. With a response rate up to four times that of some Post Types, Photos provoke a more visceral response and allow a more immediate reaction from Fans on Facebook.
3. Post when your audience is listening, not just when your business is open.
Some brand social media managers still only post when they are at their desks. But response scores spike for many brands in the evening. On average, the study found a 10% lift in posts made after 6pm and a 20% lift for all non-business hours including weekends.
4. If you want an action, often asking for it directly is the best way to get it.
Don’t be afraid to include calls to action. Asking for Likes and Comments drives up response scores considerably. In fact, simply asking for an action far outpaced offers and questions in generating Fan interaction with a Post.
5. Captioning or ‘Fill in the Blank’ type Posts are a way of encouraging engagement less explicitly.
Feel like you’re being too pushy always asking for Likes and Comments? Pepper your Post mix with Captions and Fill in the Blanks to encourage response in a more subtle, conversational way.
For the full list of 10 Tips, download the white paper from Track Social.
Blog source : Track social
