How to create the perfect Facebook post

What makes the “perfect” Facebook post? Many individuals and businesses use Facebook as a tool to reach their audience. It is undoubtedly the most popular social media platform around, so it’s vital to know how to use it properly. 

Throwing a bit of text together is easy, but knowing how to make a truly engaging Facebook post takes a good deal of know-how and research. Many of us spend a great deal of time trying to create content, expecting it to “wow” the audience and generate amazing results, so it can be frustrating when your carefully created post doesn’t generate the results expected.

So what is a “perfect” Facebook post and how do you achieve it? 

Well, there are seven characteristics to the “perfect” Facebook post: 

1.    Relevant to your audience. Make sure the audience you’re targeting will be interested in what you have to say. Ask yourself questions like “why should they care?” and “how does it benefit them?” If you feel you aren’t getting the engagement you want, take a new spin on your product or service. Communicate your message in a different way - if telling someone to buy something isn’t working, tell them how it will benefit them. Always have your audience first and foremost in your mind when creating a post.

2.    Ties back to your business. Your posts should be relevant to your business. At the same time remember to not over saturate your page with sales pitches, as people will become bored and engagement levels will plummet. While it may go against your instinct to try and boost sales or sell the service your business is providing, the best thing you can do is mix it up with quality non-sales posts that are of interest to your audience. Add in some fun facts, high quality images, seasonal posts or questions that engage your audience and encourage them to have a conversation among themselves or with you.

3.    Requires the audience to do something. A post is meaningless without any clear direction. Give your audience a call to action. This can be a simple line with a link such as “Click here to read our blog” or “We can show you the five best ways to revolutionise your social media”. Questions can also be a great way to get people involved in your post (e.g. “What is your favourite winter warmer drink?”). On the flip side though, don’t do this every time.

4.    High-quality, relevant image. It’s no secret that images draw people’s attention. Make the picture high quality, relevant to your business and, most of all, interesting.

5.    Brevity. There’s not much to say on this one. A long wall of text is boring and any more than two sentences are likely to lose the reader’s attention. Short and punchy is best.

6.    Timing. Timing can be anything from what time of day you post to linking posts with the season or relevant world news. Facebook posts for a business targeting mums generally work best around school pick up time (2.30pm – 3.30pm) during the week, whereas other groups would work better at a different time. Keep an eye on your stats and see when everyone is most frequently online and looking at your page.

7.    Cater to the three E’s. Much like our blog on creating the perfect media pitch (link), you need to understand the who, what, why, when where and how and cater to the three E’s – education, emotion and evolution. Try to educate your audience, make them feel something or change their world or perspective in some way, whether on a small or large scale. While this is not always relevant to every post, anything that creates a point of difference will set your post apart. 

What are you trying to achieve? What is the ultimate goal of your business? Look at the bigger picture. Once you’ve figured this out and applied the above seven qualities into your digital strategy, you are well on your way to turning a stock standard post into a “perfect” one.

If you want to breathe new life into your social media, contact Elevate Communication for an obligation-free quote today.