Facebook Best Practices
Audience
Facebook remains the most popular social media platform with 68% of American adults using it. Although student-aged individuals still use the platform, frequency of usage is declining among this demographic. A recent student showed that 34% of teenagers think Facebook is for “old people”. When posting to Facebook, consider your audience by reviewing analytics to see who is following your page. Adjust your tone and voice accordingly.
Algorithm
Facebook attempts to predict what a user is interested in. It uses number of followers and engagement rate, among other things, to determine an accounts weight in the algorithm. This can make it difficult for new accounts to gain a strong following. It’s safe to assume about 3-10% of your followers are seeing your posts. Another issue some accounts are having is the recent change in Facebook’s algorithm to give posts from friends and family more weight than that of pages. Some ways to organically “beat the algorithm” is to partner with an existing account with a strong following such as your division, college or the main FAU account to share your content. We have seen great success with this approach.
Content
The best way to utilize Facebook is to post content that encourages followers to engage with you. That can be done through asking questions, posting interesting images or facts or by sharing posts from other accounts that your followers may find relevant. Use Facebook Analytics to see which posts perform best and use that to inform your content strategy. It’s important to be aware of the crowded nature of the newsfeed and create content that will grab a user’s attention.
Statement on Conduct
“Below is suggested text for FAU Facebook pages that outlines our community standards.”
FAU welcomes all people to contribute to conversations on this page and to share content and commentary that is directly related to FAU and responsive to FAU posts. This site is not a public forum. Wall posts, comments, photos, and other content posted on this page are expected to be relevant and respectful. FAU has the right to delete any inappropriate content from this page, including but not limited to: irrelevant content, redundant content, defamatory content, hateful content, malicious content, uncivil or disrespectful content, attacks or complaints against an individual, financial solicitations, endorsements of a political candidate or party, and content that violates Facebook’s terms of use, FAU’s Student Code of Conduct, human resources policies, or other policies or regulations of Facebook or FAU. Content that violates Facebook’s or FAU’s policies or regulations may also be reported and may subject users to sanctions or other adverse or disciplinary actions. Only those posts and other content specifically added by the Florida Atlantic University shall constitute official FAU content. Opinions expressed or content posted by other users do not reflect the opinions or endorsements of Florida Atlantic University. This is not a place to report a crime. If you have information about a crime call 911, dispatch at 561-297-3500. Please note that content shared or posted may be subject to Florida's Public Records Law. This account is not monitored 24/7.
Paid Promotion
For departments that have the resources, paid promotion is an excellent way to gain new followers, promote a certain event/campaign or drive traffic to your website. The Division of Public Affairs (link to Digital Media page) can help you strategize how to use Facebook Ads and your budget to reach the most people.