One of the most avoidable and oft made mistakes by organizations which utilize Facebook is a lack of focus when posting. Creating a message intended for “everyone” is not an effective message, because you can’t appeal to the infinite number of variables that exist when trying to reach everyone. Before you post on Facebook again, ask yourself the following two questions:
- Whom do I want to receive this message?
- How are they most likely to receive my message?
If you don’t specifically know to whom your post is directed, you will not be able to create an effective and engaging post. Is your primary audience your small business members? Or is it local citizens in your community? If you’re not using paid posts that allow you to target a specific audience, then you should focus only on growing one specific audience and speak directly to them.
The audience you should focus on is the audience that will give your organization the greatest return on investment. For instance, if you’re a dental association with a mission to encourage dentists to volunteer their services overseas, then your audience should be dentists. However, if you’re a dental association that’s purpose is to promote healthy dental habits among young children, then your audience should be parents. Keep in mind this audience must be active on Facebook. If they’re not, then Facebook isn’t your most effective tool to reach them.
Once you determine your audience, you need to create posts that will resonate with your audience. Does your audience engage more with images, videos, or blog posts? If you don’t know, then select a month to strategically create different types of posts and track the engagement levels. Remember time of day can impact engagement levels, so be sure to consider that factor as well.
While I’ve only mentioned Facebook, this principle can and does apply to all social media outlets you use. If you have any other tips or questions, please leave a comment below.
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