When clients ask me how often to post on a small business Facebook page, I ask whether they want the short answer or the long answer.
The short answer is at least three times per week. Any less and you’re not showing up frequently enough in their feed for them to remember you. And being forgotten is worse than being disliked.
So posting at least three times per week will make your page look alive and keep your content in front of your customers. Plus, creating three posts is pretty low pressure. When you’re posting only thrice a week, I do recommend logging on daily and engaging in the comments…hopefully you’re getting comments.
Three posts per week with high engagement is enough to make your business look real and continue to get pushed out by the Facebook algorithm. But if you really want your page to grow ….
Post up to 3 times per day on a small business Facebook page
Local business Facebook pages that are growing are posting quite frequently. We used to think that posting too often would irritate our customers, but with the way the algorithm works now, many of your followers won’t see your posts anyway.
The key to ‘more is better’ style of posting is to make sure your posts are not spammy or annoying. So a picture of a new arrival, a surprise guest in store, or a video update on your current project all posted in one day is real and relatable.
Notice that all those posts are the kind of thing you’d call and share with a friend – I love this new product – you’ll never guess who came in today – I’m so pooped from doing such and such – these are all ways you’d engage with people you know.
So a good way to approach the more is better technique is not to think “I have to post 3 times per day,” it’s “I post whenever I have something to share.”
Consistent posting doesn’t mean what you think it does
To post consistently doesn’t mean you post on the same days at the same times every week. It just means you’re consistently showing up.
So I like to layer it – in other words, I will schedule out a minimum of three posts per week. And I encourage my clients to share moments and thoughts as they come up. In my experience, this combination is very natural and well received by customers.
Posting in real time will often encourage more engagement. And engagement, especially in the form of comments, is the real key to getting more reach on Facebook.
What types of content to post for a local business Facebook page
In my experience, a combination of static images and reels is the best approach. Some businesses also have a lot of success with live video – it just depends on your business.
A picture is better than just text alone, so I always encourage posting an image to pair with whatever text you want to share. Images always help the reach of a plain text post even when they’re not directly related. In other words, snapping a selfie or the interior of your shop and then adding text about a new service or offering in your shop works better than just sharing the text alone.
If you’re not comfortable talking on camera (you should work on getting comfortable, but in the meantime) you can film the interior of your shop – walk up to specific products or just pan the space – and add some text on screen.
This kind of reel does well when you share an opinion or something relatable. For example: footage of a rack of white jeans + a trending sound + ‘I don’t know about you but I’ve never worried about which side of Labor day it is while wearing my favorite white jeans.’ People who agree will share it. Those who disagree will comment.
But the same thing can be accomplished with a static image and caption saying the same thing.
Facebook posting frequency matters less than engagement
I know I’ve just told you you should share at least 3 times a week and up to 3 times per day. But the truth is that engagement really matters more than frequency.
You can make the most perfect, seo optimized, aesthetically pleasing post but if nobody comments or engages with that post, it won’t get great reach. And there is some truth to the thought that if your posts don’t get good engagement, your overall reach will fall no matter how much you post.
This isn’t rocket science or some conspiracy against small businesses. It’s simply understanding the algorithm – posts and pages that get engagement are shown to more people.
I can’t tell you what kind of content will get the most engagement on your page. Posting more will help you determine what your audience engages with the most, but it’s up to you to recognize that and make more content like that.
For example, I have one client whose page goes nuts over new product arrivals – they stay on top of what their customers want but can’t find. When they share a shipment of hard to get products, their comments and shares go nuts.
Another client gets the best results when we share pics of the owner and staff engaged in work. Their customers enjoy seeing the work they do on a daily basis. But product posts for this business feel generic and get weak interaction.
So any generic advice about what to post isn’t really going to help you. I encourage you to try different things and be analytical about what is working and what is not.
Facebook is still the best social platform for local businesses
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again because I truly believe it. Because people who are on Facebook are there for community, small businesses who are having the most success are posting and engaging like they’re part of the community.
Think of your business page like it’s your businesses’ personal page. Do you share about your family’s birthdays on your personal page? Then share about your staff’s birthdays on your business page.
Do you acknowledge your wedding anniversary on your personal page? Then acknowledge your business anniversary on your business page. Would you share a funny moment with your dog or kids? Then also share a funny moment that happens in your business. Am I making sense?
These kinds of posts do really really well on Facebook. And they don’t have to take a lot of time or effort. Snap a quick pic, share the story. Done.
Now that’s not how I would approach Instagram or TikTok, but we’re talking about Facebook.
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