While Facebook may have had a tough year in 2022, with 2.93 billion monthly active users, it remains the most used social platform worldwide.
As radio stations consider how much time and energy to invest on the big blue app which started it all, it may be good to note the similarity of the platform’s user to that of the radio listener. Nielsen reports that radio still reaches 93% of the 18+ population (the 18-34 demos is the lowest, but still stands at 87% according to Nielsen). The highest percentage of people who use Facebook is between ages 30-49, at 77%.
Keeping in mind the potential overlap of radio station listeners and Facebook users, now is a great time to consider upping your station’s Facebook strategy. Here are three best practices for 2023 based on the platform’s news feed algorithm:
Where the post comes from – it’s important to take note that the Facebook algorithm considers how often a user engages with a profile or person – this is how it determines interest. In other words, if you regularly Like or comment on posts from a page, you’ll see more of its posts as Facebook will push this content out to you. Good to keep in mind when you’re vetting the next post on your station’s Facebook page.
When it was posted – Timing is everything and that goes for Facebook. Initial post response plays a role in determining reach. What does this mean for you? You need to grab attention among the people who initially see your content . . . so, pay special attention to when your audience is online and give them content they’re likely to engage with.
How likely that it will derive engagement – Yes, it’s true, Facebook has its eyes, (aka algorithm), on you. Facebook is watching to determine what each users’ engagement habits are so they can cater to what the user wants. As Facebook has noted: “For any given story, we predict how likely you might be to comment on that story, or to share that story.” For Facebook, as in radio, content remains king.
Facebook’s goal is to get the user to “stay tuned” – keep watching for more adjustments to the platform’s algorithm in 2023 as they, and we in radio, stay focused on that goal!
