ABA Banking Journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
ABA Banking Journal
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Retail and Marketing

5 Steps to Better Facebook Content

December 11, 2017
Reading Time: 4 mins read

By Emma Fitzpatrick  

Remember last year when we talked about how and why your Facebook organic reach was plummeting?

Bad news—it’s still happening. After analyzing 880 million Facebook posts, the average engagement rate for brands and publishers has dropped 20% in 2017.

It’s time to change the narrative and combat that statistic by gaming Facebook’s algorithm. Below learn five data-driven tips to create Facebook content that will perform better.

  1. Think less about you and more about them.

Is this something you want to tell your users? Or is it something your users want to know?

It should be the latter nine out of ten times. That’s what the 30/60/10 rule is all about. Remember: 30% of your social content should be made by your bank, 60% should be curated, and 10% should be self-promotional.

 

In short, you want to deliver educational, entertaining content that piques your users’ interests. Even though it’s technically your bank’s Facebook page, it’s not all about you. It’s about your followers.

Plus, by sharing more of the content your users want (even if your bank didn’t make it), your Facebook posts will perform better. And the good times don’t stop there. If your content is already being organically viewed, liked, and shared, it will also be ranked higher in the News Feed. But if you ask followers to like or share a post, Facebook will deem the content inauthentic and penalize you.

Overall, this tactic works. The folks at Buffer tripled their reach and doubled their engagement rate. Sharing more curated content was a crucial pivot for them. About 64% of their top posts—each with an average reach of 107,000—were curated.

  1. It’s all about video.

While engagement on links and images fell the most on Facebook, video engagement held strong. Videos on Facebook now have, on average, double the engagement rate of other content types.

 

Videos get (and keep) people’s attention, so upload more videos. Facebook native videos received 530% more comments than YouTube videos posted on Facebook.

To optimize interactions, post videos between 60 and 90 seconds—or broadcast 15-minute live videos. Videos don’t have to be complicated or take forever to make. (More on that next month.)

As you try to create as many videos as you can, don’t fall into the trap of fake videos—you know the ones. Some publishers have been uploading images that play as short videos, so they’ll be ranked higher in the News Feed. Or you may have seen pictures that look like videos, but when clicked, go to an article. Facebook is now demoting and penalizing these hacks.

  1. Keep the post short, but the linked article long.

Keep your Facebook posts at or below 50 characters for the most engagement. After that, the more characters you add, the more your engagement drops.

Don’t worry! You will still have space to speak your mind. Posts that link to longer articles (over 1,000 words) get the most engagement. Specifically, stories between 3,000 and 10,000 words get shared the most on Facebook.

Before you post your link, test its load speed. Facebook’s News Feed shows more posts with links that load in under three seconds and fewer posts with slow-loading links.

  1. Get a head start.

Speaking of sharing articles, the title of your story is super important. Be sure to avoid clickbait headlines, which are any titles that withhold information and force the reader to click. No one likes posts like, “Want to save piles of money? You HAVE to try this trick…” Because of that, Facebook ranks articles with clickbait headlines lower in the News Feed.

 

ADVERTISEMENT

On the flip side, headlines that are between 12 and 18 words (or 80 to 95 characters) get the most engagement. The most successful phrases to start headlines are “# Reasons Why…,” “# Things You…,” and “This is What…” As you’re popping in those numbers, stick to 10, 5, and 15.

  1. Boost the best.

To compensate for the difference in organic reach, many companies across all sectors are spending more to sponsor or advertise Facebook content.

 

But be picky when deciding which posts to boost. Generally, you should wait 4 to 24 hours after posting to gauge performance. Then, if a post is significantly outperforming your average, go ahead and boost. Facebook will often send you a notification suggesting a boost if it detects a stellar post.

Boosting works best as an amplification strategy when you already know you have something awesome.

Emma Fitzpatrick is a Philly-based freelance writer and marketer, whose specialties include content marketing, social media marketing and short, snappy writing. Pick her brain at [email protected].   

 

Tags: FacebookSocial media
ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

Podcast: Old National’s Jim Ryan on the things that really matter

Podcast: Old National’s Jim Ryan on the things that really matter

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
June 12, 2025

Jim Ryan has led Old National Bank to 250% asset growth. On the podcast, the ABA American Bankers Council chair discusses the bank's growing profile and footprint, his views on deposit insurance reform and the experience of leading...

Bank community engagement: Yes, you can help bank veterans

Bank community engagement: Yes, you can help bank veterans

Retail and Marketing
June 9, 2025

AMBA partners with the ABA Foundation to recruit banks to provide our nation’s veterans access to safe, reliable and flexible financial products and services.

FHFA finalizes strategic plan for 2022-2026

Marketing Money Podcast: Why leadership matters more than likes

Retail and Marketing
June 6, 2025

For bank marketers, the value of being strategic is great.

Looking for trouble?

Podcast: What bankers need to know about ‘First Amendment audits’

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
June 5, 2025

"First Amendment auditors" have long tried to provoke public officials into stopping them from recording in public settings. Now, some auditors are targeting banks.

ABA: Proposed quality control rule for AVMs would overburden banks

Bank survey: Uncertainty weighing on prospective homebuyers

Community Banking
June 4, 2025

Roughly 60% of current homeowners and prospective homebuyers are uncertain whether now is a good time to buy a home, up from 48% two years ago, according to a recent survey by Bank of America.

Looking for trouble?

Looking for trouble?

Compliance and Risk
June 4, 2025

So-called ‘First Amendment auditors’ target bank employees with provocative filming. Here are tips on responding.

NEWSBYTES

ABA, associations urge CFPB to rescind changes to adjudication process

June 13, 2025

ABA DataBank: May inflation cooler than expected, but still above Fed’s 2% target

June 13, 2025

Consumer sentiment rebounds in June

June 13, 2025

SPONSORED CONTENT

AI Compliance and Regulation: What Financial Institutions Need to Know

Unlocking Deposit Growth: How Financial Institutions Can Activate Data for Precision Cross-Sell

June 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

April 25, 2025
Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

April 5, 2025
Six Payments Trends Driving the Future of Transactions

Six Payments Trends Driving the Future of Transactions

March 15, 2025

PODCASTS

Podcast: Old National’s Jim Ryan on the things that really matter

June 12, 2025

Podcast: What bankers need to know about ‘First Amendment audits’

June 5, 2025

Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

May 8, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT

American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA

ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.