Facebook Best Practices

Sign up for Business Manager.

Facebook’s Business Manager allows you to create and manage multiple assets such as a Facebook page, Instagram account, audience list or product catalog, all in one place. Control user access and permissions for everyone who works on your accounts, pages and apps, and maintain ownership of all your assets. Without Facebook Business Manager it’s difficult to separate a personal Facebook profile from the business assets that they control. To sign up, follow these steps:

1. Go to business.facebook.com/create and select “Create Account.”
2. Enter your name and confirm your identity with Facebook login credentials.
3. Follow the prompts to create your business account.

Do not create a dummy account. 

Don’t permit your staff to create a fake or dummy Facebook accounts to manage your organization’s page, even if they want to keep their personal profiles separate from your page and business manager. Companies that don’t use Business Manager and who create “gray accounts,” are essentially creating a fake personal profile with a shared login for all staff. This is strictly against Facebook’s terms of service and you run the risk of having the account flagged, closed and access to your business page removed. 

Be consistent.

Post with regular frequency throughout the week, aiming for about once a day, more if you can. One of the most common questions we get is if there is a best time of day and week to post. The answer depends on your audience’s behaviors. Test often, using Facebook analytics to find what days of the week and times of the day get the most impressions and engagements. 

Know your ballpark.

Ideal posts keep the copy around 180 to 280 characters. Stick to images that are at least 1080 pixels wide for image sizes and also for shared link images. Ideal video length is between 60 -90 seconds.

Change up your format.

Facebook’s algorithms are beginning to prioritize posts without links. When you can, try to upload text/picture/video posts without links to maximize impressions. Posts with images or videos tend to outperform posts without.

Take advantage of unique features.

There are some things you can do with Facebook that you just can’t do anywhere else.

• Events - Use Facebook Events to generate traction around activities that you anticipate at least 50 people to attend. 
• Messenger - Utilize Facebook Messenger to automate instant replies, welcome greetings or responses outside of business hours. 
• Groups - Use Facebook Groups to unite audience members by a common interest or need and connect them directly to the information that is pertinent to them. 
• Live - Leverage Facebook Live to cover events that are happening right now, Q&As with experts and anything else that you think your audience would respond well to in real-time. You can even ask viewers to turn on Live notifications so they are pinged every time you begin a stream.

Leverage the Stories format.

Though not a feature unique to Facebook, Stories are still an important way to connect with your audience. Just like on Instagram, Stories on Facebook allow you to push out full-screen experiences that can range from high polished in quality to selfie-style.

• Audio - Yes or no? If yes, make sure it’s clear to your audience to “turn on the volume.” If you are outside, be cognizant of the wind as it may interfere with sound quality. 
• Music - If you are using the music feature, just make sure it is appropriate (no explicit lyrics or cursing).
• Language - Make sure that there are no spelling or grammar errors. 
• Background - Make sure nothing weird (profane/illegal) is going on that will take away from the slide.
• Consent - Make sure everyone in your story says it’s OK to be filmed/photographed.
• Context - Be sure to add in helpful context to each image or video. 
• Captions - Make sure to include some kind of caption per clip, especially if there is any speaking/talking. Be mindful of those who watch without sound or are hearing impaired. Please stick to classic or strong font.
• Length - The ideal length of your story should be no longer than 90 seconds and no longer than 12 segments.
• Filters - It’s ok to use color filters if it works for the story.
• Lenses - Use with intention. Avoid voice changing or face distorting lenses. 
• GIFs, stickers and emojis - Yes! They are a fun way to add more context to your slides. Bonus tip: Search for “UCDavis” in the GIFs option of your mobile keyboard for UC Davis themed GIFs and stickers. Avoid profane GIFs, emojis that have obscene gestures, and the eggplant and peach emojis. 
• Boomerangs and superzoom - Use these features within the Facebook app for a fun way to add motion or emphasis to the story. 
• Call-to-action button links - Use “Shop Now,” “Call Now,” “Book Now,” or “Get Directions” buttons to link out to websites that are relevant to your story.