Facebook continues to be the primary social platform for founding an online business presence, but many businesses lack an understanding of how the platform can be optimized.

You start with a page, fill out the descriptions, and decide on tone - that’s a great start! But what’s next? The simple answer is to create posts.

Posting consistently is the simplest version of Facebook marketing. It’s important to have a timeline of informative or entertaining messages and graphics.

That’s how a new follower might identify worth and be inspired to click through to a website. It’ll also encourage followers to engage. Liking, sharing, and commenting on posts extends your overall reach to expand your community.

But what should you do to market most effectively on Facebook?

Follow these tips to get an advantage and stay on target.

There are many ways to take advantage of Facebook beyond a basic post schedule. Here are Facebook marketing tips that outline just a few you can use for social media marketing :

1. Visual Wins - Text is important, but an appropriate image can triple engagement on a well-written post.

Really?

Images take up over double the amount of space on the news feed, thus being more likely to be seen. Because a business page name will travel with the photo, you want to make it shareable! Ideally, the number of shares will influence follows.

2. More Than Just a Pretty Image - Yes, graphics are important. Pixel clarity, sizing, and good composition are all important to make an aesthetic that catches more interest in someone’s news feed.

But videos accomplish the same thing ten times over. Whether you shoot a professional video or simply compile your product photos into a slideshow, the moving images are more likely to grab attention.

3. Experiment with Posting Time - Most businesses post within business hours, with the peak of popularity being from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Break out from this standard.

Why?

This time slot is in the bottom 30% of reported engagement. Try earlier morning or evening hours (even as early as 3 a.m. or as late as 11 p.m.) to see when your community is most responsive.

4. Sponsored Posts - Roughly 16% of content is organically reaches fans. What about the other 84%? Page posts ads allow you to reach a far greater percentage of your fans, thus gaining more engagement from your community. And the cost (as little as $10) is worth it.

And as social platforms evolve, new intel will become available for you to leverage your business outreach. Stay focused on your business objective and utilize social media as a tool for promotion and revenue production and you'll soon see the benefits in your business and brand community.

Author's Bio: 

Craig de Borba, is a professional SEO , digital marketer, and the founder of OnPoint Internet Marketing. He has been making a living online since 2010 and provides services and consulting.