Lee Ann Jackson “3 Best Facebook Practices for Radio in 2023”
While Facebook may have had a tough year in 2022, with 2.93 billion monthly active users, it remains the most used social platform worldwide.
As radio stations consider how much time and energy to invest on the big blue app which started it all, it may be good to note the similarity of the platform’s user to that of the radio listener. Nielsen reports that radio still reaches 93% of the 18+ population (the 18-34 demos is the lowest, but still stands at 87% according to Nielsen). The highest percentage of people who use Facebook is between ages 30-49, at 77%.
Keeping in mind the potential overlap of radio station listeners and Facebook users, now is a great time to consider upping your station’s Facebook strategy. Here are three best practices for 2023 based on the platform’s news feed algorithm:
Where the post comes from – it’s important to take note that the Facebook algorithm considers how often a user engages with a profile or person – this is how it determines interest. In other words, if you regularly Like or comment on posts from a page, you’ll see more of its posts as Facebook will push this content out to you. Good to keep in mind when you’re vetting the next post on your station’s Facebook page.
When it was posted – Timing is everything and that goes for Facebook. Initial post response plays a role in determining reach. What does this mean for you? You need to grab attention among the people who initially see your content . . . so, pay special attention to when your audience is online and give them content they’re likely to engage with.
How likely that it will derive engagement – Yes, it’s true, Facebook has its eyes, (aka algorithm), on you. Facebook is watching to determine what each users’ engagement habits are so they can cater to what the user wants. As Facebook has noted: “For any given story, we predict how likely you might be to comment on that story, or to share that story.” For Facebook, as in radio, content remains king.
Facebook’s goal is to get the user to “stay tuned” – keep watching for more adjustments to the platform’s algorithm in 2023 as they, and we in radio, stay focused on that goal!
Lee Ann Jackson is the Social Media Manager/Senior Marketing Strategist at the Ambassador Advertising Agency. In a 28 year tenure at the agency, Lee Ann has represented nationally recognized non-profit organizations such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Focus on the Family and Joni and Friends. Lee Ann serves as a marketing and social media strategist creating national media campaigns for organizations with primary emphasis on radio placement, on-air promotion and integration of social media strategies. Lee Ann’s career has involved international travel to participate in radio agency vision casting in Ecuador and lead Social/Digital Media Conferences in Ukraine and Cairo with MEDIAlliance. A fluent Spanish speaker, Lee Ann received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with International Relations emphasis from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1989 and is currently enrolled in the Rutger’s Business School Mini-MBA Social Media Marketing Certification program. Reach Lee Ann at LJackson@AmbassadorAdvertising.com
Ambassador has over 50 years of experience serving non-profit radio broadcast organizations in marketing, production, audio distribution as well as creative development, and consulting on communication strategies which include social and digital media.