facebook publishing best practices

Confidential © iris 2013

facebook publishing:

Best Practices

February 2013

What this deck is meant to do: Facebook offers general “best practices” for brands regarding publishing content on pages. However, there is still quite a bit of gray area on how these guidelines should be applied from practical standpoint. That’s where this deck comes in. Based on both iris’ learnings and statistics from third-party sources, what follows is a POV on what “best practices” translates to on a daily content creation and publishing basis. However, please note that these learnings represent platform best practices as of right now. Facebook changes frequently, and best practices will evolve frequently as well. Enjoy!

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agenda: Straight From Facebook A practical, iris interpretation of best practices: Posts:

- Basics

- Content - Branded content & utility

Cover Photos - Basics

- Do’s and Don’ts

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What facebook says about posts…

h"p://&rep.com//SMB/Page_Post_Best_Prac6ces.pdf  *  The  20%  policy  applies  to  posts  that  will  be  promoted  as  ads  (sponsored  stories),  but  is  strongly  advised  as  a  guideline  for  posts  

across  the  board.      

*

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continued…

h"p://&rep.com//SMB/Page_Post_Best_Prac6ces.pdf    

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What EXACTLY does that mean we should be doing then?

AN IRIS POV…

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Best Practices around the technical stuff Post Basics

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DO: Go big on visuals, little on text Posts that are 80 -90 characters in length drive 27% higher engagement than posts that

don’t.*

Source: Buddy Media, 2013

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Don’t: always shout your CTAs

Phasing out such direct CTAs has led to 3-4x increases in positive content response across several iris brands.

We don’t always need to monger for “Like,” “Tell us” or “Share!” With an established fan base, they have already raised their hands telling you they want to engage. We want to act more like how their friends talk to them.

Source: iris, 2013

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Showing the product in context works well - for example showing where and how in your home you would actually use this candle.

Do: use real photos when possible!

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Don’t: forget that 50%+ of Facebook newsfeed browsing is mobile

Keep co-viewing in mind – people watch TV while interacting with multiple devices. Engaging fans with fun and relevant

content during nationally televised events, such as the Super Bowl, are a great opportunity for fans to engage their fans.*

*According  to  a  Vel0  study,  during  the  2013  Super  Bowl,  39%  of  Viewers  admi"ed  to  Checking  out  their  Newsfeeds  during  the  commercials.  (surveyed  1,438  Super  Bowl  viewers)  

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Do: consider timing of posts Posts should bookend the work day - early in the day, or later at night. Test, and figure

out what works best for your brands. According to Buddy Media, posts outside of working hours generate 20% higher engagement.

Source: Buddy Media, 2013; Forrester, 2013

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Best Practices around what’s in your posts Post content

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Do: remember that people like to make simple choices Visual is best, but even if it’s in the CTA, provide a couple of thought starters.

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Do: apply this idea to driving reviews

Asking users to write reviews doesn’t typically go over well. However, if you turn it into a loyalty battle, consumers will defend the products they like best. Even if they don’t click through to write reviews, they still drive conversation on the page.

Virality: 2.7%

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Do: remember that people share things that are funny Consumers respond well to humor, and humor can also help reinforce a brand personality and drive affinity by tapping into mutual pain points, “truths”, or loves, and offering shared empathy or comic relief.

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In-newsfeed games, like Spot the Difference, Caption This, and Word Scramble generate high engagement and can illustrate key product USPs or benefits

Do: leverage simple, in-newsfeed games to highlight benefits

This post utilizes a quick scramble and soothing imagery to explain what Lavender does, coming

across as a fragrance expert.

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Do: have a super clear value proposition in promotions

DON’T run a giveaway without going through an app (like Jones

Soda did). This is against Facebook regulations and

could cause legality issues.

DO have a super clear value proposition.

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Do: be relevant Holiday and Event posts are always more relevant when they have something to do with the brand or product. Virality: 4.0%

Source: iris

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Not every post needs to have a strategy – sometimes it just illustrates the brand personality. Skittles candy are bright, little bursts of fun for your mouth. Their posts are like candy, but words.

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Branded content

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to brand or not to brand… Facebook explicitly recommends using brand elements sparingly. Adding branding elements typically makes content less sharable, UNLESS the content is original and relates to an area in which the brand has credibility with consumers.

DON’T: Brand content that is not

yours with any URLs or logos –

quotes, ideas, images, etc.

DO: Brand content if it’s

useful, original, content or ideas from the brand.

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Do: explicitly brand it if it’s content that provides utility or value People love helpful content - tips & tricks, checklists, etc. Share the expertise of your brand in snackable, useful form. Subtly branding with a logo ties the credit for original content to your brand, and helps pass that along as posts get shared.

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Do: explicitly brand it if you create something original and new Fun, original content that’s aesthetically pleasing and humorous, like Crest’s example below, can be smart AND sharable as well. These examples employ subtle branding to encourage sharing.

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Do: it’s ok to brand it if it’s an original spin on an old idea Fun, original content that’s aesthetically pleasing and humorous has a gray area as well. Taking a quote and making it mean something new by gearing it towards your audience counts.

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Do: go beyond a logo DON’T: Just put the logo or the brand

Facebook page URL on posts. DO: Subtly brand content with brand colors

or fonts, or consistent elements

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Facebook cover photos

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Do: make it a visual representation of your brand’s passion The cover photo is a brand’s place to visually illustrate what they stand for.

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Do: be relevant Tapping into the season for the cover photo or putting fans at the center by leveraging their content and stories make cover photos more relevant.

Confidential © iris 2013 *  The  maximum  of  20%  text  overlay  policy  applies  to  cover  photos  as  well  

*

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Thanks

Confidential © iris 2013

Feel free to contact:

Amy Brown (Amy.Brown@iris-worldwide.com)

Senior Social Strategist

Emily Canan (Emily.Canan@iris-worldwide.com)

Senior Community Manager

Esty Gorman (Esty.Gorman@iris-worldwide.com)

Director of Strategy

Questions?