From Likes to friend requests, Facebook is all about building relationships – Mark Zuckerberg even emphasizes that Facebook increases people’s capacity to build and maintain relationships in his letter to potential investors.

Optimizing your organization’s Facebook Page to build and maintain a relationship with target audiences will add awareness and participation for your cause, and with Timeline for Pages there are more ways to express a unique and relatable identity than ever before. As part of our social media for nonprofits series, we want to give you a head start on engaging with your target audience with some tips for optimizing your organization’s Facebook Timeline Page:

Using a Cover Photo that Conveys Your Message

Example of a cover photo the strikes an emotional chord

Let’s face it; we often judge a book by its cover. This is truer with the Timeline format, and it’s important that your cover photo is ready to take on the judgment.

Your graphics should work together to create a specific brand voice. The cover photo is the largest graphic on your Page and the first thing people will see, so select a picture that communicates your message from the get go. Be creative: consider integrating your profile picture, creating an innovative graphic with your logo, or perhaps including a picture that will strike an emotional cord. It should demand engagement from your audience and pop out from Facebook’s white background. For some ideas, check out these creative cover photos for inspiration. Also, use something simple (i.e. your logo) for a profile picture. With Timeline, profile pictures are smaller and fall second to the cover photo in terms of garnering attention. 

Update regularly with engaging content

Keep your page fresh and exciting—viewers won’t visit your page if you haven’t updated it since the Dark Ages. Share your latest news, or post links to your blog and other information that will give people something new and interesting to see when they’re on your page. According to an internal Facebook study, the optimal length is between 100-250 words, so keep it succinct in feature_order to receive more likes, comments, and shares. 

A great way to keep people visually engaged is to use posts with pictures to tell your story. The aforementioned internal Facebook study suggests that pictures will result in 120% more engagement than the average post. As a nonprofit on Facebook, you’re looking to achieve a personal connection with your supporters and potential supporters, so it’s important to keep them interested in your cause. Milestones are also a great way to do this.

Some say timing is everything; a report from Buddy Media indicates that brands who post outside business hours receive 20% higher engagement. The peak engagement times occur early in the morning, after work, and late at night. The day of the week also comes into play. Thursday and Friday posts receive 18% more engagement; although you shouldn’t lump all your posts into those two days. Facebook allows Page admins to schedule posts, so you’ll never have the excuse that you’re not posting at the right time again!

Know your Audience

Understanding your audience is vital for creating a relationship that drives engagement. Facebook Insights allows Page Admins to evaluate the effectiveness of posts, which can help you identify the most effective content for engaging your audience. With this information, you can know the types of content your supporters want, and when they want it! Using Facebook Insights to tweak posts will have you catering to your specific audience in no time. Page admins can also track the overall success of their program based on the metrics Facebook Insights provides – be sure to check these often (at least once every 30 days)!

Create a conversation

A relationship can only develop with two way communication. Don’t beat around the bush; ask your audience to “Like”, “Comment”, or “Tell us”. Show that the organization values its audience by recognizing them. In turn, when a supporter “Likes” something on your page, they show their connection with the content and the organization.

Create more forums for your audience to participate beyond the basics, including contests, polls, or questions to answer. Not all questions are created equal though; try asking Yes or No questions, preference questions, fun questions, or ask people what they think of a photo. Use your feedback and analytics to see what works and what doesn’t, then tweak accordingly.

Remember, a conversation needs to go both ways, and you should respond to your fans’ comments. If they ask questions, make an effort to answer them.  Also consider highlighting supporters and contributors to show appreciation – demonstrate to viewers that their support does not go unnoticed!

The Livestrong Page is a great example of effectively communicating with audiences. On this post, they offer interesting content and a graphic, and then ask a question. Additionally, they responded to a response, creating an active and continuing conversation with their audience.

Bottom Line: Your Page should be personal and give your organization a unique identity. The Page should compel users to engage with the content and the organization as a whole, establishing a relationship. Ultimately, this will translate into support for your cause, and create evangelists that will want to share your message with their friends and families.

Fission is proud to be the only Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer that works with nonprofits and foundations! We create powerful and engaging apps to help people achieve their goals – if you are interested in Fission’s services, please contact us!