More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared on Facebook each month.
And if you are involved with or leading your brand or organization’s Facebook presence, you’ve undoubtedly faced questions such as:
- When should we post? And how often?
- When are people engaging with our content?
- Are there certain words or content that will generate the highest response?
Research by Buddy Media reveals ways to create the most effective engagement for retailers when interacting with their fans on Facebook.
The findings reveal some interesting ways to increase the success of your Facebook marketing.
Even though this research was obtained from analyzing user engagement from the top 100 retailers Facebook pages during a 6 month period in 2011, some of the lessons outlined here could be applied to a wide range of business categories.
The analysis showed that it was best to post during times when fans were not at work and between the hours of 8pm and 7am. So to increase your “likes” and “comments”, post during “non-busy” hours.
Scanning the details
Approximately 60% of Posts were published from 10 AM through 4 PM, indicating brands are most active with their Posts during core business hours (EST). After 4 PM, the number of published Posts steadily decreased.
However, brands that posted outside of business hours (early morning, at the finish of the work day and late at night) had engagement rates approximately 20% higher than average.
This reflects the importance of having a Post appear at the top of fans’ News Feeds during the times of day they are most likely checking their Facebook Pages. By posting within business hours, brands miss the critical opportunity to get the visibility they need for maximum engagement. So, schedule Posts to appear early in the morning or late at night. Don’t publish Posts simply because you’re in front of your computer.
Brands that posted outside of business hours had 20% higher engagement rates.
The top days of the week to post updates on Facebook:
Most of the brands researched posted regularly throughout the week. To improve engagement it is best to publish on Wednesdays and Sundays. And as findings say, posting after regular business hours increased engagement by 20%!
Facebook is the fastest growing two-way communications platform as of this time, and as brands increasingly make the social network a key hub for their marketing and communication strategies with various stakeholders, it is crucial they understand what drives engagement.
While engagement best practices clearly differ by industry, it is imperative that when it comes to their Facebook publishing strategies, brands keep things simple and in line with their fans’ needs.
