5 Quick Tips to a Better Facebook Post

As event organizers, a lot of us are using Facebook to promote our events. This is a smart approach! Of the 85% of all adults who use the internet, 67% of them are using social networking sites. And of all of the social media platforms, more people turn to Facebook for their "hobbies" than any other platform, perfect for our community.

According to Facebook, on any given day, an average Facebook user's News Feed is filtering around 1,500 possible stories. But only 20% of them actually land in a user's feed. Say what?

You heard me right. Facebook uses an algorithm called EdgeRank to figure out which posts you are most interested in seeing. They've recently started opening up about how this algorithim works but we're not going to get into the science behind it. Instead we're giving you 5 tips on how to optimize your posts to land in your fan's News Feed.

1) Include images

Users prefer consuming visual content than reading blocks of text. According to HubSpot, photos on Facebook generate 53% more likes and 104% more comments than average posts. Luckily we're in a community with TONS of visual content. So find your best stuff and use it to your advantage.

2) Ditch the link-based post

Since images are king, upload a photo and then add a link instead of using a link-based post that just pulls in a small thumbnail image. Take a look at the two posts below to see what I'm talking about. Big difference huh? The one on the left is way more engaging.

Facebook_post_comparison

3) Shorten those links

Speaking of links, remove those horrendously long URL links from your copy space. They take up much needed space and distract your reader. If you run your events through MotorsportReg.com, we provide you with a shortened URL to your registration page. You can also use bitly.com.

4) Keep your posts brief

We've already discussed how much people prefer visual content over text blocks. But you've gotta write something. Just keep it short! According to socialmedia today the longer your message, the lower your response rate, especially after 140 characters. Please, no more paragraphs! And if your message requires someone to hit "See More" to read it, THEY'RE NOT READING IT.

This last tip isn't really about optimization, but man it drives me crazy!

5) ALWAYS include the link to your registration page

I can't tell you how many posts I see that tell people to register for an event and don't include the link to the registration page. Don't make your attendees have to figure out for themselves where to go to register for your event. The easier you make it for an attendee to register, the more likely they will.