By Caroline Eaton
Today, we’re back with more to share about Facebook. We want to make sure your ministry pages are in top shape before we move on to another social media platform, so please follow along!
We’ve discussed the benefits of a Facebook page for your ministry, how Facebook works, and what makes high-quality Facebook content. Today, we will discuss how to effectively manage your Facebook page. It takes more dedication than you would think! However, if done right, your page will drastically increase in activity.
1. Have one to three page managers.
If your ministry does not have one designated social media manager, then divide up the task between one to three, of your leaders (including yourself). Make them “admins” on the ministry Facebook page—admins are the only people who can post content from the page and receive notifications when people are engaging with your content. By keeping the number of admins small, you can more effectively strategize your platform.
Besides the admin position, there are a few other roles that users can have on your Facebook page, which we will break down next week. For now, simply add up to three admins, which you can do when you click on “Settings” at the top of your page and then “Page Roles” on the left-hand sidebar.
2. Post around 10 times per week.
In order to post consistently, you must plan how many times per week you want to post and stick with it. I recommend at least 10 posts per week; that way you are posting at least once a day and then some bonuses. Since October, the Division of Education began posting between once and twice per day, and we saw a major increase in page activity. Frequency and consistency is an absolute must to increase your success!
3. Schedule posts.
Posting at least once a day takes time; however, there is a way to streamline the process. Facebook allows you to schedule your posts in advance. Instead of stopping what you’re doing once a day to post something to your page, you can take one hour a week to plan, create, and schedule all of your content for the next few days. Currently, the Division of Education has 50 scheduled posts! A couple of hours of work will now last us until April.
Here is a step-by-step guide to scheduling posts:
1. Log on to your Facebook account and access your page on the left-hand sidebar.
2. Create your post how you normally would: type in your status into the posting box, add your photo, etc. until your post is complete.
3. Instead of clicking the “post” button, click on the small blue arrow next to the button.
4. Now click “schedule post” on the dropdown menu.
5. A calendar will appear that will allow you to schedule for the exact day and time that you want your content to post. Choose your day and time, and then click “schedule” at the bottom of the box. That’s it! Now your post is scheduled and will post automatically.
6. If you need to access your scheduled posts later to change something, there will be a box on your page under the posting box that gives you the access. When you click on it, you can see all of your scheduled posts and edit them as needed.
4. Experiment with posting times.
There are plenty of articles on the web that tell you the best times of the day for posting to get the most engagement. However, all the articles have a different answer. Personally, I think this is because optimum posting times vary by your demographic. In order to determine what works best for your page, you will need to experiment. Switch up the times that you post content this week and notice what times reach the most people. Once you determine a best time, you can begin posting all of your content at that designated time.
As always, I hope this blog is helpful to you, and I would love to see how you are implementing these lessons on your page.