All too often, a company or brand begins its social media presence on Facebook and somewhere along the way loses its focus. Disillusionment is a commonly perceived cause, as many small businesses and brands do not understand why their content is not being shared or why their followers do not engage more with their page. Many people have moved from websites to Facebook pages due to their universally-accepted status and easy to use functions, but Facebook pages must have a more proactive approach than select static websites in order to be successful. Below, we will discuss the importance of consistency when it comes to managing your Facebook page.

Diagnosing Failure

It is to be expected that a relatively new Facebook page will not be brimming with activity. What is the best way to quickly determine whether your Facebook page is simply too new to be generating large amounts of traffic, or has been improperly managed and is failing because of inconsistency? While the metrics offered by Facebook are limited, it is relatively easy to diagnose this problem with the ones provided. When you look at the Weekly Total Reach and People Talking About This totals, are there peaks and valleys that correspond to the number of posts per day, or is there consistent growth? If it is the former, then inconsistency is a problem.

Rectifying the Problem

If your page appears to be suffering from inactivity due to inconsistency, then the good news is that your Facebook page woes do not have to be permanent. Any administrator can quickly boost the page’s reach by pinging URLs of relevant content to your existing followers. There is a good chance that even a failed Facebook page has plenty of followers who are genuinely interested in the brand or mission, but how can they be when content and discussion is not facilitated on a regular basis? Even if it is just one status update per day, this consistency can help keep your followers engaged and your fan base consistently growing.

Stay One Step Ahead

If you do not have a consistent amount of time each day in which you can monitor and update your Facebook page, then there is a solution that can make page management easier. Particularly good for blogs and other websites with a variety of content to share, page updates can be scheduled in advance via Facebook. Whenever you post a new link or article, you will see a clock next to the Post button that can be used to schedule updates hours, days or months in advance. While this approach can only be so effective if your page needs to be pinging URLs with breaking news or time-sensitive content, those with evergreen content will find this strategy to be particularly effective at combating inconsistent posting habits.

Conclusion

Any Facebook page requires activity in order to be successful. Users and followers will not be proactive in this regard – you must facilitate the discussion. Pages cannot sustain viral growth when there are dramatic drop-offs in participation – sharing grinds to a halt, new likes stop or reverse and nobody knows you exist. When you consistently post to your Facebook page, you can rest assured that over time it will grow and flourish.