When a business sets a Facebook page, the first question that is asked of the social media consultant is typically about the frequency of the posts. How often should a business post on its Facebook page in order to achieve the best engagement?

Although there is no secret formula about the frequency of the posts for a Facebook page, there are some general tips that might be useful when customized at each page:

  • A professional Facebook page is nowadays part of your online reputation. You don’t want to leave it abandoned at its own fate. Make sure you post several times during a week.
  • If your brand does not have a satisfying quantity of content to share do not post irrelevant posts simply to post something new. Your fans are expecting a specific niche from you.
  • If you have more than enough content for your page, do not post it one after another. Just because you have 30 minutes available to spend on Facebook doesn’t mean you should post all the news at that time.
  • Scheduling will help you spread your posts during the day. You can use the scheduling feature of Facebook, or Hootsuite, with its free account allowing you to organize your posts even more. There is also Buffer, a service that it is posting on your behalf at different times. You might come across an interesting post while surfing but don’t want to post it right away. You just “buffer” it and it’s posted the following day, or whenever you choose.
  • Avoid posting more than one post an hour. As a general suggestion, 2-4 posts per day are enough.
  • It has been noticed by some that the biggest engagement comes during the afternoon and the weekends. Pay attention to your audience during the first couple of weeks to learn about the best timing.
  • According to EdgeRank Checker, the average lifetime of a Facebook post is 3 hours. Make sure you maximize the engagement within this timeframe in order to improve the general EdgeRank of your page.
  • Think like a fan of your page: when would you be more interested in a new post? Do you prefer to check posts in the morning or maybe after work?

Keep in mind that all the above tips are general and do not apply exactly as they are listed here for every single page. Make sure you understand the audience of your own page and watch your results week by week. If you still need help, Posse is here for you!