Bonus: Ask the Experts Facebook Q&A

Earlier this month we partnered with Stephanie Needle from Meta to host our Q2 Ask the Experts webinar, focused on maximizing your presence on Facebook as a local business.

Stephanie provided great insights over the two sessions we offered and her content sparked a lively discussion in the Q&A portion of the events. So much so, that we ran out of time to answer all the questions that were submitted. Stephanie was generous to go back through the unanswered questions and write out her replies, which we’ve included below. 

If you haven’t seen the webinar recordings, you can access Session 1 here and Session 2 here. And if you are still looking for the answer to a Facebook-related question or two, please contact us through the form on the right side of this page.

Q: How often should businesses post content (per day or per week)? Are there any recommendations for specific days or times with more engagement?

A: There isn’t a magic number, but brands can drive business results by effectively utilizing both organic and paid tactics at a cadence that makes the most sense for their business. Organic content has the benefit of reaching your followers as well as brand new audiences through shares or recommendations and paid advertising on Facebook effectively connects new audiences to your brand. Every page is different, but posting a minimum 1-2 videos/posts per week helps with reach and as we discussed earlier we prioritize content that sparks meaningful interaction – so ensure you are reviewing the insights and analytics on your posts to know what is driving engagement.

Q: What is the difference between posting content and placing an ad?

A: Posting content organically is available to all business pages at no charge. Posting organically means you will likely get a lower reach of your user base, but perhaps a very engaged and value audience. By taking that a step further and placing paid ads with the same content/for the same business, you are extending your reach and ensuring your content is seen by a much larger audience within the targeting parameters you set for that ad.

Q: Can you explain how the targeting for boosting a post is different from the targeting of placing an ad campaign on Facebook/Instagram?

A: The targeting itself is not different for boosting a post; what is different is your objective or your end result. By boosting an post you are paying for engagement; people that will view or interact with the post. By using paid ads you have more options for what your business goals are; i.e. website traffic, video views, reach, etc. The objective you select for your paid ad will help with auction find the best user that is most likely to take that action.

Q: For businesses that are new to Facebook, do you recommend doing giveaways to increase awareness and engagement?

A: I would [first] recommend utilizing video to help educate and entertain audiences about your brand and start creating a brand story. Video is a great way to do this with short clips. We also have great resources on the small business tools page here.

Q: What is the major benefit of posting a reel vs. a story? I tend to create the reel and then share it in my story – is there a more effective way?

A: This is a great way to extend your reach; it’s perfectly fine to use the same assets for both Reels and Stories.

Thank you again, Stephanie!