Tips for Consistently Engaging Facebook Content

Even amidst this era of change across social media platforms, the one constant has been Facebook. It may not be as “cool” as the others, but roughly 2 billion people still log into Facebook every day. That’s a pretty big audience for your library’s content and we’ve collected some tips to make sure you’re getting maximum engagement.

Understanding the Algorithm

Facebook’s news feed algorithm focuses on a few key elements. Users that interact with your library’s page by liking or commenting on posts will see more of your posts in their newsfeed. The idea is that those who show interest in your content are prioritized. This is why engagement is so important because those who regularly interact with your posts will continue to see more of them, plus the more engagement, the further a post reaches. Understanding when this audience is typically online will also play a factor. If your followers are typically liking posts at lunch time, catering future content to this timeframe will ensure they see it quickly – and hopefully they will like or comment, magnifying it to others. Lastly, the algorithm observes what user engagement habits are, and will optimize for their behaviors. Guessing how long a user might watch a video for, or if they’ll comment on a story, will play a factor in how the content is presented in the newsfeed. The algorithm is always evolving and more recently has been focused on video, so creating reels or short video clips will expand your page’s reach.

Get to the Point

The optimal length of a post is between 25 to 55 characters. Attention spans are short and getting to the point quickly is the best way to reach your audience. Also, in the mobile app, posts are shortened after 80 characters with a “see more” prompt to open the post up for all of the text. Since many people are typically viewing their newsfeed through the Facebook app, it’s good to have key details in the first sentence. Typically, you’re guiding someone to click a link for more information anyway, so the rest of the post doesn’t need to be wordy.

In addition to writing zippy copy, the posts that seem to have the most value for Facebook followers are images and videos. Scrolling can be fast-paced and posts are much more eye catching to stop the scroll when they’re unique graphics or a short-form video. Always keep in mind what type of content resonates most with your audience and consider if it can be relayed visually.

Maintain a Schedule

If you’re just starting to generate content for your Facebook page, aim for three posts per week and move up to daily posts from there. The best times to post according to Sprout Social is morning hours, Monday through Friday. Those who posted at 3am saw the highest number of engagements, possibly because not many other pages are posting at that time and the content was fresh at the top of user newsfeeds whenever they first log on in the morning. Keeping an eye on when your audience is typically engaging with your posts will also help determine the best timeframe. Once posts are out there, checking back at intervals throughout the day will help you stay on top of any follower engagement. You can quickly reply to comments or messages, which will boost the reach of that particular post.