I love data.

Data never lies to you; it only ever presents the facts.

Data is beautiful.

(I think you catch my drift)

So it should come as no surprise that I especially love data as it pertains to social media, which is why I’m really excited by this article on increasing Facebook engagement. Essentially, the article summarizes some of BuzzSumo’s findings after analyzing 800 million Facebook posts in 2016.

Be still my heart!

I wanted to share my x takeaways from this article with you. They’re so simple and absolutely anyone can implement them right away:

1. The shorter your post, the better.

In the digital age of social media, brevity is highly respected.

While I already knew that shorter posts tend to perform better, “shorter” was a relative term and I couldn’t have given you a concrete length. Now I can.

50 characters or less.

Woah! Even my mind is blown at that. But apparently, the shorter you can keep it the sweeter the engagement results.

2. Link to longer articles.

Articles that are more than 1,000 words in length tend to get more engagement. (For the purposes of this blog, engagement refers to likes/reactions, comments, and shares)

I already knew this to be true for LinkedIn, but again – this one had me surprised when it comes to Facebook!

Whether you’re blogging and linking to your own articles, or linking to other sources, the longer the article the better.

(Feels weird to say right after I said your post’s content should be as short as possible!)

3. Take advantage of off-peak times.

This makes sense.

It’s a real battle for exposure in the Facebook newsfeed, so if you’re posting when everyone else is, you’re gonna get lost in the shuffle.

Try scheduling posts late at night or in the wee hours of the morning and see what kind of difference it makes in your engagement!

4. Post video.

I talk about video a lot. Like, a lot.

It really is the best way to get your posts at the top of the newsfeed – especially Facebook Live video.

I’ve been hearing a few grumblings that some people have been seeing less views on their live videos than they were in 2016, but Facebook is constantly adjusting their algorithm. Live video is here to stay.

As with any of these suggestions, don’t try them for the sake of trying them. Provide value to your audience – that’s the true catalyst for engagement.

Which new strategy will you try? I’d love to hear your results!