Facebook is the most popular social network in the world. Its users are on the platform to connect with friends, watch videos, and share snippets of their own lives.
The channel is also a great platform for businesses, as many consumers report using it to interact with the brands they enjoy. In fact, in a recent HubSpot poll, 51% of respondents reported primarily using Facebook for product research.
Given this, it’s essential to understand how to leverage the platform to meet your business needs. This post will explain why businesses should post on Facebook and share an expansive list of Facebook post ideas that you can use to interact with your audience and generate engagement.
The decision to post on Facebook should depend on your business’s individual marketing goals, but we’ll outline some benefits below. Firstly, in Q4 of 2020, Facebook reported almost 1.85 billion daily active users on the platform, which means that segments of your audience are likely already using the network.
When your audience discovers you’re on the platform, you can work to develop a community of like-minded consumers and deepen the connection they have to your brand. When you engage with them, you’ll learn more about their likes and interests, making it easier for you to create content they’ll enjoy and interact with.
Also, maintaining a Facebook profile is a great way to show your audience that you’re active and in business. As most users use the platform to research products, stumbling upon an in-active Facebook profile may prompt them to bring their business elsewhere.
Lastly, 200 million + businesses are already using the platform to meet their business goals, so you should join them.
A recent HubSpot experiment found that, overall, businesses should aim to post on Facebook two to five times per week. While this is simply an average, it is ok to adapt your strategy depending on your audience insights and what seems to bring the most success on the platform. However, the experiment did note that posting more than five times per week can substantially decrease ROI.
All in all, spend time on the platform, learn from your audience, and use your page metrics to determine the best combination for your business.
Below we’ll list various Facebook post ideas for businesses that you can use to generate engagement, drive traffic, and boost conversions.
A great first-post to make on Facebook is promoting your website. When you share a link on Facebook, customers are given a full-sized preview of what the link leads to and, if you’ve designed an eye-catching website, you may entice your users to follow the link and visit your website, which in-turn drivers traffic and helps you convert leads.
A great way to engage with your audience on Facebook is to tell a story.
This story can be about your brand, like an experience that sparked your interest, or your brand’s mission and how you became what you are today.
You’ll share a bit of backstory with your audience, give them something to relate to, and get them interested in what you have to offer.
Customers enjoy doing business with you, but it’s also exciting for them to see how you do business. Sharing behind-the-scenes content on Facebook allows them to understand the day-to-day operations that generate the products or services they enjoy.
For example, if you’re a clothing company, you could share a video that shows how your products are made, or a SaaS company could share a video from a developer explaining how they built the program.
A great way to generate engagement with your Facebook audience is to ask them questions. If people reply, you’ll gain valuable insight into how they think and feel, and you’ll also have the opportunity to respond to comments and let them know you’re listening. Below is an example of a question-type Facebook post from HubSpot that reads, “What’s the weirdest job title you’ve ever seen? Major bonus points if it was yours.”
Sharing how-tos and tutorials on your Facebook page is a great way to generate engagement with your audience, especially if the content is relevant to your business offerings. They’ll recognize and appreciate that you’re willing to help them succeed with your product, and they’ll continue to return to your page to seek out similar information in the future.
This type of post allows for creativity, as it doesn’t necessarily need to be text-based. You can create an informational video tutorial, infographic, or whatever best meets your needs. Below is an example of a how-to video tutorial post on Facebook.
Your Facebook audience is following you on the platform because they care about what you have to say. Given this, it is safe to assume that they also care about news relevant to your industry, so consider posting this type of content on your Facebook page.
The example below is from Bon Appetit, a food magazine, where they’ve shared news about a haughty discussed topic in the food world: natural and artificial flavorings.
A great way to generate trust with your audience on Facebook is to share user-generated content (UGC), which is content created by people who have used your products, services or have had some experience with your business.
UGC is also a valuable form of social proof, which essentially means that your audience will trust your legitimacy because other consumers like what you have to offer. In fact, consumers are 14% more likely to trust the recommendations of someone like them (another consumer) than a brand employee.
This content can be anything from product reviews and testimonials to photos that customers have shared using your products. The example below is from Hydro Flask, a water bottle company, where they’ve shared a picture of a fan using their product in-action.
The average engagement rate on Facebook is .18%. The average engagement rate for video posts on Facebook is 0.26%, so take advantage of this and post videos on the platform.
The video below is an example from Spotify, a music streaming service, of a video they’ve posted on the platform featuring actors discussing a soundtrack from an upcoming movie.
Cross-posting content from your blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website and expose your blog content to an audience that may be unfamiliar with it. In the example below, virtual conference sharing platform Zoom has shared content from their blog to Facebook.
Like Twitter, Facebook uses hashtags to organize community conversations about specific topics all in one stream. Use industry-related hashtags in your posts to join in on conversations that are already happening on Facebook as a means of increasing visibility and engaging with a new audience.
Like using hashtags, posting about trending topics gives you an in on the conversations people are already having. People are also more likely to talk about a current trend in the moment, which can drive engagement to your page.
To leverage this tip, stay on top of relevant industry trends and general internet trends and post about topics you think your audience will be interested in.
One of the main goals of marketing is to increase awareness and recognition of your brand.
Given this, Facebook is a great platform to share branded graphics to show your audience who you are and give them the cues they need to recognize your brand and pick you out of a crowd.
Consumers love visuals, so sharing them on Facebook is a great way to generate engagement and excitement for your brand, especially if they’re high quality.
90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, so infographics are a great marketing tool for educating customers and sharing relevant information.
Consider creating high-quality infographics and sharing them on your Facebook page. The example below is an infographic created by Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company that directly relates to their social justice mission.
Hosting contests and giveaways is a great way to generate engagement and interact with your audience on Facebook. The parameters of your contest can follow the same structure as any other contest you’d post on social media, but this post can help you create a Facebook-specific giveaway.
Your Facebook audience may look a bit different than your email audience or your Twitter audience, so it’s worth announcing deals and offers on all of your social platforms to ensure that everyone has the chance to experience them. Below is a Facebook deal announcement from Chipotle, a fast-food restaurant.
There’s nothing wrong with recycling content; in fact, it is a valuable practice. Take screenshots of tweets, Instagram posts, and even blog posts, and share them on Facebook. As different platforms have different user bases, you’re ensuring that all of your segments can enjoy what you have to offer.
Here’s another example from the HubSpot Facebook account of a cross-post from LinkedIn.
Facebook Lead Ads allow users to submit information into a lead form without leaving the platform, helping you collect the information you need to further nurture your leads.
Since they aren’t promoted to leave the page or navigate to a different window, users are also more likely to complete these, especially since they can autofill with information already shared in the user’s Facebook profile.
One of the great things about social media is how easy it is to go viral. Take advantage of trending memes, rework them to relate to your business, and share them on your Profile. Consumers appreciate this kind of content, as it displays a sense of humor, and it also shows them that you actively monitor online conversations.
The example below is from Starface, a beauty company that adapted a trending meme from the reality TV Show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Similar to announcing deals and offers, cross-posting discounts and sales on Facebook is a great way to ensure that all segments of your audience are aware of your business offerings, helping you drive traffic to your website and increase sales.
80% of marketers say that influencer marketing is effective, and 49% of consumers today depend on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions.
Join other marketers and partner with influencers to promote your business, and share the content on Facebook for interested consumers to see. The example below is a Facebook post from Taco Bell, where they’ve partnered with a famous influencer and created a humorous video advertisement.
As mentioned before, cross-posting content from your other channels is a great way to drive traffic and generate engagement. So, share links on Facebook from your YouTube videos.
Your customers may already be aware of what you have to offer, but why not remind them? Consider creating a Facebook post to highlight your product offerings. The example below is from the Humans Of New York Facebook page advertising a new book.
In a similar vein, Facebook is a worthwhile platform for product announcements. Below is an example from Dove, a personal care brand, announcing a new range of products.
Product reviews are another form of user-generated content to post that will generate social proof and establish your authority with customers.
You can take screenshots of positive reviews on your product pages, email feedback, social media comments, or even invite customers to create reviews specifically for your Facebook page.
While Facebook is great for marketing, it can also help you attract new talent. Post job openings on your Facebook page, and you may find that engaged customers are also interested in becoming employees. Here’s an example of a Facebook job post by Global Fund for Women.
Ask Me Anything sessions are a great way to engage with your audience. You can create a post around your desired topic and let your audience know that you’ll answer their questions in the comments and generate conversation.
A great customer service tip is to practice proactive customer service, where you get ahead of customer questions if you notice that there are commonly asked questions.
Consider creating Facebook post(s) that answer these questions, so customers can visit your profile and find the answers they’re looking for before picking up the phone and calling a service rep. The example below is from a small farm in Gainesville, Florida.
As mentioned before, some people don’t check their email or remain active on every social channel they have, so sharing events on Facebook is another way to ensure all segments of your audience is aware of them. Below is an example of an event announcement from Mount Holyoke College.
Live-posting isn’t something reserved for Twitter.
Consider doing this on Facebook as a means of creating more opportunities for engagement with followers that are at your events. You’ll be around to answer their questions in real time, participate in conversations, and also inspire others to show up to your next event. Here’s an example from The Golden Globes Facebook account live-posting the 2021 Golden Globes event.
Facebook polls are a way to gain insight into your audience and their preferences. A unique aspect of Facebook polls is that results can be viewed in real-time so your followers can visualize how others are responding without needing to filter through comments.
Polls are a native Facebook function, and you can learn how to create one here.
Just as people may be interested in working for your company, your followers may also be interested in who works at your company. Employee generated content posts can showcase company culture, projects, and the talent that helps run your business. The example below is from the HubSpot Facebook account.
While most of the posts you make will be on your own profile, it’s also worth posting in Facebook groups that are relevant to your industry. You’ll gain exposure to a new audience, and, depending on what you post, generate new leads.
Sharing a call-to-action on your Facebook profile can help you collect information on new leads, and drive traffic to your website. An example of a CTA can be encouraging your followers to sign up for a newsletter, or inviting them to sign up for exclusive access to a new product before it becomes widely available.
One of the great things about social media is that it is an ever evolving landscape where people are discovering new things every day. Consider recycling content from your most popular posts so newer followers and leads can learn from and enjoy that content as well. Facebook has a native sharing option that will allow you to re-share your old posts.
Creating a themed series is a great way to drive engagement and interaction, as those who are interested in what you have to say will keep coming back to read new posts as they go live.
The content in your themed series should be relevant to your business, but an example could be sharing information on a new industry trend, a post explaining how it relates to your business, and another post explaining how it affects your audience.
Your audience trusts you because they believe you provide them with something of value.
Because of this, consider sharing content from other industry leaders or businesses that you think will benefit your audience and help them succeed. The example below is from the HubSpot Facebook account sharing an industry-relevant quote.
70% of consumers say that trusting a brand is more important now than ever before.
Aim to build trust with your audience by sharing your brand values on Facebook and letting them know what you care about. The example below is from Google’s Facebook page, where they commit to supporting nonprofits and social enterprises to empower women.
Facebook Live is a native feature that allows you to broadcast real-time video to your page and newsfeed. While you can certainly emulate a Facebook live with Facebook posts, live video gives you the unique opportunity to build trust with your audience with interactive two-way conversations. Your audience can ask questions in the comments, and you can verbally reply using their name and generate a familiar relationship.
While there is some overlap, most social media platforms have different audience demographics. Share links to your other accounts on your Facebook profile as a way to drive engagement and gain followers on all your accounts.
Some companies have multiple Facebook profiles that correspond to different segments of their business. If this is you, share content from your other Facebook profiles to your main profile page to make your audience aware of the different types of content you have to offer.
The example below is from Google’s main profile page sharing content from the Google Small Business profile page.
All-in-all, leveraging the tips on this list will help you create an engaging Facebook business page that your audience visits to learn more about what you have to offer and develop a relationship with your company.
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