7 essentials for successful Facebook content

In our blog post "10 Do´s & Don´ts for Facebook Pages", we have already picked up on this topic: Good content is essential for a successful Facebook page. What this content should look like varies, depending on brand, product and strategy – there is no general recipe for success. Instead, we focus in this article on the basics of creating successful content.

Reaching your goal with a strategy

It begins with the content strategy: How do you want to present yourself and your brand? What are the goals of the company’s Facebook site? Do you want to reach as many fans as possible with a broad topic, or does the content focus on a strong interaction with the relevant community on a very specific subject? Are you looking for a dialogue with the user or should the attention be drawn to external content, such as an online shop? In general: Which target group would you like to address? The answers to these questions suggest how your content must be designed in order to achieve your goals.

Finding the right target group

In order to check whether the intended target group corresponds to the actual user ratios on your own page, Facebook statistics or tools such as Audience Insights can be used. To know what your fans like, how they use the social network (e. g. with mobile devices or on the computer) and how active they are makes it possible to provide appropriate Facebook posts.

Which content the community is drawn to the most can be determined by A/B tests: by publishing different posts to a selected target group or the same post to different target groups and comparing the results, one gains important insights for future posts.

What distinguishes good Facebook content?

In addition to obvious key figures such as engagement rate and reactions (likes, shares, comments), it is also worth it to consider the mood in the comments: Which content has been particularly popular? Where did the reactions turn out less positive? Have other users been linked to get their attention? Furthermore, regarding the design of Facebook posts, make sure to present the message clearly with short texts: a question at the end of a long text can easily be overlooked - whereas in an image it is much more likely to catch the user’s attention.

What type of contribution is the right one?

The type of post should be chosen depending on the strategy and goal of the individual Facebook contributions. It is a good idea to analyze previous posts to determine what has been perceived best. Fans love videos? How about conveying the message with specifically recorded video footage? A picture post offers the most creative freedom in terms of design. If you would like to refer users to external content (e. g. the company’s website), linkpage posts are most likely the best option. In addition, new formats such as live videos, slideshows or canvas ads can be used depending on the occasion.

Editorial plan or spontaneous Facebook posts?

It is absolutely recommended to organize Facebook posts in a monthly editorial plan. This is the only way to get an overview of which topics are published at what time and in which way. It also ensures variety - not only regarding the content, but also concerning the type of contribution (photo, video, linkpage post). In addition, by planning ahead potential topics can be identified at an early stage and Facebook posts can be prepared accordingly.

On the other hand, spontaneous posts allow to respond to current trends at short notice, in order to use the attention of a certain topic for yourself - for example, the "alternative facts" (#alternativefacts) of US President Donald Trump. Generally, spontaneity is rewarded by the community: well-designed Facebook posts regarding a certain trend can make a brand look down-to-earth and likable, as it shows interest in current happenings.

Selecting certain days as a hook for posts

Often, the question arises as to which topics should be published on the company's Facebook page. In addition to obvious and recurring events such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, and April Fool’s Day, there are a variety of less well-known events, that are suitable for a post, such as Sweatpants’ Day. The prerequisite is that the topic matches to the company. However, you should not exaggerate and choose days of action for posts specifically and sparingly.

Budget planning

Without the use of advertising budgets, posts on a company’s Facebook page only show up in the newsfeed of a fraction of the fans. Even the best content is of no use if nobody gets to see it. In order for a post to spread, it must first reach a critical number of views - and this can often only be achieved by adding paid reach. If you are serious about social media marketing, you should not only invest in the conceptual design and creation of Facebook posts, but also in promoting them.

Conclusion: For Facebook content to reach the right users at the right time is not as difficult as one might think. A well thought-out strategy and careful advance planning facilitates the placement of your own brand. And with the use of a budget for paid Facebook posts, the individual goals can also be achieved.