Facebook may not be quite as popular as it was, but it’s the ideal forum for service-based businesses to find customers and maintain those relationships. While booming networks like TikTok skew far younger, Facebook is full of adults with disposable income. That makes it great for social media marketing.

The rewards of consistent social media marketing with Facebook are clear:

• The opportunity to attract and convert new customers in your local area
• Better customer retention and more repeat sales from existing customers
• Plenty of chances to learn more about how to serve your audience better

Facebook also stands out for its excellent advertising options. The Facebook advertising platform is still second to none, even Google, in the precision and granularity of its targeting. But you don’t have to put a premium on online advertising to benefit from Facebook – simply posting can be enough.

That raises the question: How often should you post to Facebook?

The answer comes down to two critical facts about Facebook itself.

Facebook Is Among the Worst When It Comes to Organic Reach …

Organic reach is a way of understanding how many of your followers are likely to see a post if you don’t spend money on amplifying it in any way. It’s usually calculated as a percentage, where a fraction of your existing audience will be served your message by the algorithm.

When determining who sees what, Facebook has two goals:

• Keep average users scrolling through their feeds for as long as possible
• Drive page owners, including businesses, to spend money advertising

As a result, the general trend has reduced organic reach for businesses. This was intensified over recent years as users complained about how hard it was to get updates from their families and friends compared to well-heeled businesses that were using the platform for brand awareness.

Experts have estimated Facebook’s organic reach averages around 5%. And Facebook isn’t the worst: Since 2016, when Twitter embraced “recommended” feeds, its organic reach has been around 3.5%. Reduced organic reach impacts everyone, and it definitely affects how much you should post.

Now, 5% can amount to a lot if you have millions of followers. But for the average brand working in a radius of about 30 miles to maximize the “near me” effect, it means you won’t get many eyes on even your best posts. Luckily, there is a bright spot that makes Facebook very worthwhile.

… But Facebook Doesn’t Move Nearly as Fast as Other Platforms

Think about another social media platform, namely Twitter.

You could be brand new to Twitter, following only a handful of other users. But within a few minutes on the platform, your feed will be full. Full of what? Stuff – from people you don’t know, haven’t interacted with, and aren’t particularly interested in. That’s the magic of the algorithm-curated feed.

Sure, if you spend long enough on the platform, that firehose of content will gradually pare down a little so it better reflects your interests. But try posting there just once a day and see what comes of it: It’s like shouting into the void. Twitter moves fast – much faster than Facebook.

The same is true of TikTok and many within the newest crop of social brands.

By comparison, Facebook is still very rooted in each user’s local area and circle of friends. And even if it seems like you can’t get heard above the noise, posting consistently means the algorithm is much more likely to show your content when there’s nothing to display from a person’s friends and neighbors.

A Marketing Agency Can Help You Find the Perfect Facebook Posting Schedule

All in all, you should aim to post at least once a day on Facebook.

As you can commit to more, it’s wise to raise that to 3-4 daily posts.

Tons of different factors impact the performance of any given post. For instance, it’s always best to time them for maximum reach and exposure based on where your audience is located. Likewise, posts using beautiful photos, graphics, or video storytelling are much more likely to get seen.

Just as importantly, they inspire those who see them to remember them and take action on them.

Done right, Facebook can deepen your existing relationships and help you cultivate new ones. But you don’t have to go it alone. Hire a marketing agency like New York Ave and you can enjoy true “done for you” social media that always captures what makes your brand special.

You stay focused on what you do best while your team handles Facebook.

Contact New York Ave to get started.