Facebook is a social media channel that has been around for a long time but is still one of the most relevant. Being the largest social media network with more than 2billion active users, it’s important that your organization is aware of the different content that can be posted using this channel to grow your business. What’s important to note about Facebook compared to some of the other social media platforms is that the algorithm favors visual content (similar to Instagram). A well-rounded content strategy will utilize several, or even all, different types of content that we will walk you through below.

FB Image Post

This is your standard graphic that will stand out from the text that covers the majority of the background on your Facebook feed. You’ll want to make note that links and CTAs are okay to use but most make the mistake of putting them in a follow up comment outside of their caption to steer Facebook away from catching it. The problem with this is that if shared, this information will be lost. Just be sure to not overuse the CTAs and links but when you do, add them where it makes sense. Your graphic (image post) should be very clear in explaining the direction or the story of your message. Most people skim their feed so it’s important they understand what you’re trying to portray through one image. If you combine your image with a compelling headline in the graphic, you can elaborate your meaning through your caption.

FB Story Post

This is a full-screen vertical image and video that is help at the top of your feed, similar to Instagram. We recommended in order to stay relevant that you have anywhere between 1-3 stories posted throughout the day so there’s at least one story up at all times. This way your brand is “top” of mind every time your audience logs into the app. The kind of content you put in stories will obviously change but it’s great to mix it up with some that are personality driven, behind the scenes content, interactive (Q & A), really anything that will help develop your relationship with your audience.

FB Link Post

A Facebook link post is any post that has some sort of hyperlink that drives traffic outside of Facebook. In a business setting, your goal more likely than not will be to direct your audience to your website or to whatever offer you are promoting. Unfortunately, Facebook tries to demote posts that utilize links frequently so we recommend using them sparingly as they are trying to keep people on the site. If you do decide to use a link in the caption, it’s important to note the best placement depending on where the link will direct your audience. For example, if you’re adding a link to send a customer to an offer or have a major announcement to make, you’ll want that link to be above the fold. If the link is more informative like an article about industry related content but not your site specifically, put it further down where they’ll need to click “see more” to uncover the entire caption. One more trick is how you add in the link in relation to your image. If you upload the link and choose the pre-populated image that was taken from the blog itself, Facebook catches the open graph information. But if you upload your own image and then place the link in the caption, Facebook doesn’t have a chance and your post stands a better chance of being seen in the algorithms.

Text-Based Post

Text-based posts are a feature specific to Facebook where the caption is the actual post. They provide vibrant background options that are colored to allow the text to standout. It gives a “scroll-stopping” appeal to these text images. They are great for engagement purposes such as which Q & A, True or False, etc. but should be kept concise to remain effective.

FB Reel

Facebook is slowly rolling out the reels feature after its success on Instagram. The feature is definitely more accessible on Instagram but they are adding more features on Facebook as we speak. To learn how best to utilize the reels feature, we recommend looking at Instagram due to the separate tab that allows you to look at a multitude of reels at a time. You’ll be able to pick up on existing trends, music, etc. that would best fit your business goals. From there you can manipulate those reels to align with your values and business strategy.

Uploaded Videos

Videos on Facebook are recorded and edited outside of the app that you will upload yourself. We recommend doing longer videos, approximately 3 minutes long. Videos 5 minutes or longer truly perform the best. Something you should be sure to include in your uploaded video is a clear Call to Action. Not only should you include it in the video but follow it up in the caption for consistency.

FB Live Video

Live content is becoming more and more popular. They are live streamed on the application and can be saved to your page after the live is concluded. Businesses that take advantage of this feature are expanding their engagement opportunities with their audience as it provides more opportunity to connect one on one with the audience. It’s a direct line of communication that will help build your relationships. An example of an opportunity to go live could be as simple as discussing a new trend or news alert in your industry that is causing conversation. If you go live and give your opinion or thoughts on the subject, it not only shows your expertise but your awareness of what is going on in the industry. Your audience will value your willingness to discuss and communicate with them.

Podcasts

If your company or an employee at your company has a podcast relevant to your business, it’s a great way to connect the two in one platform. One of the biggest advantages of having your podcast streaming through Facebook is that it gives your listeners the ability to save and share their favorite snippets from your podcast. It will show up right in their feed just as all the other content would. Your content should tell a story and build off each other, not a random thought of something you may think is valuable at the moment. When thoughts are connected, your audience may read a post that was so valuable and spoke to them and will come back to find a continuation of that content they loved constantly on your page. This is how you build an audience that stays with your business. As we mentioned from the start, using all types of content in your business strategy will be the best way to engage and grow your audience. Don’t be afraid to incorporate new trends, offers, and UGC to consistently build out your business page for months ahead. You must focus on growing their loyalty to then have them as a customer thereafter.