What Is the Best Content for Facebook?

You may believe a Facebook page is a must-have for your business, but do you know what types of content are must-haves for your brand?

Let’s take a look at the most popular posts on Facebook, and see what kinds of content you should be posting on your business pages.

Top Facebook Content of 2017

According to a study from Buzzsumo, the most-shared content on Facebook in 2017 was YouTube music videos – just three of them accounted for more than 36 million shares. The other most-shared content was made up of:

• News articles.
• Quizzes.
• Research articles.
• Cute/heartwarming videos.

The 20 most viral posts on Facebook (17 of which were video) in 2017 were from categories including:

• Practical tips.
• Inspirational.
• Food/recipes.
• Cute animals.
• Music videos.

In addition to the obvious point that video is the top format type on Facebook, it seems that content promoting news, practical info, positivity and entertainment is what people want to see most (meaning, they’re not terribly interested in self-promoting content).

Where’s a business to start?

Keep Your Facebook Content Mix Balanced

First, ensure your Facebook content is balanced. This is a social network, after all, and you can think of the content mix as a matter of etiquette.

Within its step-by-step Facebook marketing plan, Hootsuite discusses the mix of content that businesses post. Hootsuite recommends either the 80-20 rule or the social media rule of thirds:

• The 80-20 rule says 80 percent of posts should inform, educate and entertain while 20 percent may be self-promotional. If the 80 percent side provides enough value, businesses can build the relationships that make audiences more open to the 20 percent.
• The rule of thirds says posts should be three equal parts ideas/stories, personal interactions with followers and self-promotion. Again, the idea is to build relationships that make sales-focused content more acceptable to audiences.

Whichever you choose, these rules of thumb can help keep your content mix balanced between fun/informative and self-promoting, keeping your audience more receptive to everything you post.

Keep in mind that your content spans both organic and paid social, and the next sections will touch on both.

Focus on Visual Content

As I said, video is a top format type on Facebook, and photos are also widely popular. In fact, according to Hubspot, visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared than other content types on social media.

Let’s check out what Facebook itself has to suggest when it comes to videos and photos for businesses.

Video

In January, Facebook published a blog about keeping video ads short. No surprise here–users have endless options for what to watch, and to be effective, video ads must be short and relevant. At the moment, 6 seconds is the sweet spot, meaning people watch and recall them more than 30-second ads and are more likely to convert after watching them.

The very next day, Facebook talked about vertical video, which works better than horizontal video on the mobile phone screen:

People are experimenting with creating vertical videos with concepts like:

• Panning up and down to direct viewers’ eyes.
• Splitting the screen into halves or differentiated sizes.
• Animating in 2D, 3D, stop-motion or motion graphics.
• Playing with text and texture to add dimension.

According to Agorapulse, creating video on Facebook Live is also worth considering. It appears to do better in reach, engagement and shares than uploaded video.

Photos

Facebook offers eight tips on what makes great photos on a business page. Consider these whether you’re presenting store shelves, a model in your clothing designs, plated meals or tech devices:

1. Check to see how the image looks on mobile.
2. Keep it simple – not too many people or props.
3. Follow the rule of thirds (a different one), placing the subject to one side or at the top/bottom.
4. Try different perspectives and mix large and small items.
5. Experiment with interesting layouts and aerial shots.
6. Put subjects in the foreground to create a focal point.
7. Create contrasts with light and shadow.
8. Use attractive color combinations.

Focus on Ad Copy

If you’re thinking about paid social, Facebook ad copy should be short and relevant. Here are the major areas to consider:

• Tone of voice – Is your brand funny, adventurous or all business? Pick a voice and stick to it.
• The most important message – Lead with whatever you need the audience to know. Consider character counts and text truncation when crafting your copy.
• Writing with the customer in mind – Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and try to think what would appeal to them the most.
• Compelling headlines – Drive awareness by being clear at the get-go. Use a headline to tell what you can deliver.

When you’re creating content for your Facebook page, look to current trends to learn what people enjoy. Ensure your content mix strives to build relationships before self-promoting, and cater to the desire for visual content. Top it all off with well-written copy, and your Facebook content will be among the best of the best!

What content has worked best for your Facebook business page? Let me know in the comments. While you’re here, check out bizbuzzcontent’s managed services if you’d like help publishing your content, including social media updates.