Facebook marketing is an important part of most businesses’ social media strategy. With nearly a billion users and a highly publicized advertising platform, it’s good to keep up with the latest news related to Facebook marketing.
Socialbakers recently found that a post on Facebook reaches half of the people it will ever reach within the first 30 minutes of publication. Analysis of several brand Pages also showed that the remainder of a Facebook post’s reach exhausts in the seven hours following the initial 30-minute window. After that, posts reach into obscurity.
To understand the significance of this Socialbakers’ findings, consider that email-marketing research shows that 23.6% of email opens happen within an hour after they’re sent. For brand Page posts, there is a near 60% reach an hour after publication. Furthermore, within 90 minutes after a Facebook post goes public, only 2% more will see it.
Get the Most out of Facebook Posts in Their First 30 Minutes in Three Easy Steps
Don’t obsess over the fact that even the best posts with the most likes, shares and comments enjoy only a certain amount of views and only for a certain amount of time. Make the most of the time given.
For Facebook posts that work harder to increase engagement during in 30-minute glory, apply the following:
1. Find out which times are ideal for social media posts in your marketplace and industry. There are several posts on this topic. Take a look at this article exploring the best and worst times to share on social media.
2. Share visuals with Facebook posts. Images on a user’s timeline instantly draw attention away from blocks of text.
3. Include calls-to-action. Ask for likes, comments, shares, clicks-through, etc. A simple request can increase engagement scores significantly.
Let’s face it. People move more and faster than at any point ever in history. The fact that Facebook posts become irrelevant essentially after 30 minutes shouldn’t be too shocking. Especially since Facebook’s change to the timeline news feed.
Post at the best times. Make posts interesting with graphics. And tell viewers what you want them to do next. These simple steps increase engagement easily and allow posts to reach as many viewers as possible in a half hour’s time.