Developing a Posting Schedule for When to Post on Facebook
Rianna M. Hill | Rianna@PancakeDigitalSolutions.com
One of the most common questions I am asked when working with people who are just getting started with social media for business is how often they should be posting online. Each social media platform is a bit different and has certain guidelines that are good to follow. For this blog, I will address when to post on Facebook specifically, but these are good rules of thumb for creating content for all social media and digital marketing channels. If you are just getting started with Facebook, here is a FREE checklist to help you get going Confidently & Consistently utilize Facebook for your business.
So answering the big question…. When to post on Facebook?
Monthly
One of the quickest ways to relieve some of that pressure of not knowing what to post but feeling like you need to is to plan a month in advance. For example, at the end of April you are planning some basic content for May. This includes holiday posts, and evergreen content that you can use anytime. I have a bank of about 50 posts I have created that are relevant any time of year such as a quote or a link to a blog, that will not expire. Each month, I schedule a handful of these to post the following month.
Why is this so helpful?
Spending two hours to do this ensures your Facebook page will have content posted to it throughout the month. This can include remembering important holidays and having a promotional post each month, sharing what you offer to your audience. Trust me, having this set up relieves a lot of pressure for daily posting especially the “should have” guilt if you miss a few days.
Weekly
Once you have established a habit of scheduling monthly content on Facebook, perhaps the last Tuesday of each month, you can start building the habit of posting weekly content. This is ideal for more timely content such as weekly specials, a change in hours, or a promotion. For example, I schedule about an hour on Friday afternoons to plan a few posts for the following week. This can be really helpful for content that may depend on the weather as well!
Daily
Finally, the monthly and weekly scheduling habit of when to post on Facebook will take about 4 or 5 hours of your time each month and set you up for success in your consistent social media marketing. Feel good about this and celebrate it! This then opens you up for spontaneous posting on a daily basis. No, this does not mean you have to post every day, but it can mean opportunities for fun content.
Taking a load of packages to the post office? Snap a quick picture and make a post thanking your customers. Had a great meeting with a client? Go live and share some of your excitement and inspiration. While the other types of posts build the foundation for your content strategy, these posts build that incredible personal connection from your brand to your audience.
The most important thing to remember about when to post on Facebook is that CONSISTENCY IS KEY. Keep a consistent brand voice, keep a consistent tone, and keep a constant schedule of what you post. The first few times you go live on a Thursday, no one may notice, but after a year of that, your audience will come to expect it, building a solid connection.
The second most important take away: Have fun!! Seriously, this is something you can enjoy by connecting to your audience, sharing what you love about your business, or taking a moment to be creative.
On The Table…
The key to answering the questions of when to post on Facebook is consistency. Planning monthly content ahead of time will help ensure your page stays active. Weekly content scheduling creates more timely content, and both free you up for creative spontaneous posts on a day to day basis.
Enjoy the process and join our Facebook group of marketing learners to ask questions and get more tips!