How Often Should You Really Post to Facebook? (Here’s a Hint: At Least Every Day)

Post too much, and you seem spammy. Post too little, and your audience forgets you exist. So, how do you find just the right balance on social media?

Posting to Facebook is a valuable and essential piece of your Montessori school’s digital marketing plan, but it can also be rather confusing.

• Where do you begin?
• Is your content relevant for your particular audience of parents and families?
• How many times should you post to Facebook each day? (Should you post to Facebook each day?)
• Does the time of day make a difference?
• Does the actual day make a difference?

Take a deep breath try not to get overwhelmed. We’re here to help! Let’s break this down and answer one question at a time.

Where do you begin?

You’ve most likely been posting information on your Montessori school’s Facebook page – pictures of field trips and kids learning at school; upcoming events and activities; general announcements – which is a good place to start.

When you want to attract new students, your Facebook page is a great resource for highlighting school culture, experiential learning opportunities, and photos that evoke a response from prospective parents such as, “This looks like a wonderful environment for my child!”

Your Facebook posts have the power to make parents want take action by scheduling a tour or visiting your website.

Is your content relevant for your particular audience?

Your school’s Facebook page is a great place to share key information about upcoming application deadlines, enrollment information, a forthcoming open house, and a link to schedule a tour of your school. When you’re considering what content to post, put yourself in the shoes of both existing students and families, as well as prospective ones.

What would they be interested in learning about your school? What will motivate them to take action and click through to the school’s website?

How many times should you post to Facebook each day? (Should you post to Facebook each day?)

The short answer, as the title of this blog suggests, is yes. You should post to Facebook at least once every day. The longer answer depends on several factors:

• How many followers does your school’s Facebook page have?
• What is your goal with Facebook posts? Do you want more engagement per post, or more click-throughs to your website?

A general rule of thumb when it comes to number of followers is if you have less than 10,000, one Facebook post per day is enough. More than one post per day, especially if you only have a few hundred followers, runs the risk of clogging up their newsfeed with too much information. Once a day is a good balance for your growing audience.

On the other hand, if your goal is to get more engagement per post, including more commenting  and sharing, then you might consider posting just a few times per week. Potentially, if you post just a few times each month, your clicks per post will nearly double.

This principle is similar to an effective Facebook ad strategy, where you can actually increase your school’s enrollment by advertising less!

But, let’s assume since you have under 10,000 followers, you want to build a bigger audience, increase your number of followers, and keep a steady flow of traffic visiting your Facebook page, your website, and ultimately, your school. In this case, posting relevant, engaging content once a day makes the most sense to help you achieve your long-term goals.

Does when you post really make a difference?

You bet. The best times to post to Facebook are from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. You’ll engage most of your audience during these times, in particular, on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm. This is right in the middle of the workweek when parents are most likely taking an afternoon break to check their social media accounts.

How great would it be if your school’s captivating post popped up in their newsfeed right around that time?

Conversely, the worst times to post are between the hours of 8:00 pm and 8:00 am, as parents are spending time with their children before bedtime. And, unless you’re appealing to all the insomniacs out there, everyone else is asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

As for the weekends, the best time to schedule a post is between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm, when families are home from their kids’ sporting events and other activities, or after running morning errands.

How do you schedule Facebook posts for a particular day and time?

We’ve said this before: one of the best ways to schedule posts is to automate your school’s social media using a tool like Hootsuite. Hootsuite lets you schedule posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. This way, you can select the time and the content for your post to go live whenever it’s most relevant.

Additionally, Facebook lets you schedule posts for a particular day and time, so if you’re not quite ready for a full-fledged automation program, use the Facebook publishing tool.

Have more questions about Facebook and social media?

We’re here to help, and it’s free to join the Nido Marketing community where you’ll have access to online training courses, live Q&A calls, brochure templates, marketing materials, and other Montessorians around the country sharing ideas and success stories.

The experts at Nido Marketing want to help your Montessori school build a Facebook following, and emerge as a leader in education in your community. Schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help manage your online marketing strategies.