After spending the past 5 years or so helping small businesses with social media I've had conversations with 1000s of people... and one question pops up over and over again: 

- What do I post on my Facebook Page?

Regardless of the type and size of your business, figuring out what (and when) to post on Facebook is a constant challenge.

Should your posts include photos?

- Videos?

- Status updates?

How often should you post links? Should you do any selling on your Page?

All great questions -- and if you own a business, these are the kinds of things you should be asking yourself daily.

You want answers, and I've been in the trenches long enough to have them.

Let's look at 5 proven types of posts you can leverage to boost shares and build business on Facebook.

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5 Facebook Post Ideas You Can Swipe and Add to Your Page

News Feed algorithm changes occur so frequently that most business owners or Facebook account managers may not have even heard of most of them.

And if they have, they're not sure how those changes affect their posting strategy.

If you've been struggling to get a decent return on investment from your Facebook efforts -- maybe even beginning to think Facebook isn't worth the effort -- I'd challenge you to hold your horses!!!

I've seen amazing results when business owners and social media managers stick to their guns with a clear plan for success.

Here are some of the Facebook posting tactics I've used. There's no reason why you can't repeat (or beat) my results.

1. Photo quotes

Try a tip straight from the classroom teachers' handbook and mix in some sort of 'entertainment' to foster overall engagement.

The first job of a post is to get the reader's attention, and there's plenty of competition out there working to beat you at every turn.

I've found that photo quotes work best for the different types of accounts I manage -- including Post Planner (see the screenshot).

The overall reach of this post was massive. Facebook didn't stop until it tallied a reach of 6.4 million!

To say people loved this post is an understatement.

Another great example of a photo quote going viral is from Kim Garst. It pulled an amazing amount of interaction -- over 770,000 shares when this screenshot was taken!

>> Click to Give Kim Garst Some Love! <<

Finding a suitable photo to use for quotes can be a real chore. Who has time to search all over the web? And how will you know if the image you do find will get any engagement?

That's where the Viral Photos tool in Post Planner comes into the picture.

The photo we used -- the one that reached over 6.4 million viewers -- was discovered and posted with the Post Planner app. It's a tool that makes locating viral content super simple to do.

Not only that, but Post Planner displays image performance by using a 5-star scale. That helps you choose images that have already proven themselves online. 

You KNOW the photo has a winning track record before you ever post it to your own Page!

How cool is that? And how VALUABLE is that?

2. Original videos

Videos on Facebook are crushing it right now!

In fact, depending on the metrics you use and how you tally them, Facebook is getting more video views than YouTube!

Social Bakers reported that videos had a 135% increase in organic reach at the end of 2014 -- beating out every other type of post -- and the number is continuing to climb. 

Here are some tips on how to post videos to Facebook. They come from social media consultant Andrea Vahl.

1. Inspire viewers
2. Educate your audience
3. Be entertaining
4. Add a featured video
5. Create a playlist
6. Use the "Watch Video" call to action
7. Boost video views with an ad
8. Embed Facebook videos in blog posts

For best results, keep your videos short and try to get readers to click on them (in order to turn the sound on).

>> Click here to tell Andrea Vahl you love her work! <<

3. Link posts

Perhaps there should be an asterisk * next to this tip, because you shouldn't ever post a link as just raw text.

Always, always, always use a properly formatted link post that includes the featured image, title and description -- with the link removed from the text update.

Why?

Because Facebook wants it that way.

Some of the algorithm changes we've seen recently indicate that Facebook will favor link posts that are formatted correctly and don't have a link in the text. Facebook assumes raw links are 'click bait.'

You don't ever want to draw fire for 'fishing without a license.'

Here's an example of how to format your Facebook link post updates:

Here are the takeway points I'm hoping you'll get:

• Use short text with no link in it
• Go for a full-width featured image
• Make the title accurate and attractive
• Write a description aimed at getting people to click

You may point out that Post Planner is at an advantage over most small business owners -- since our blog houses over 500 original articles we can draw from for posting on our  Facebook Page.

Well, that's true, but there's a way you can level the playing field and compete against just about anyone you choose: Check this out.

The Post Planner Top Content tool discovers the highest-performing content available. It then lets you select the material that best suits your audience (or audiences) and schedule the posts during the times they are most reachable.

How's that for slick? 

You can curate your own library of possibilities from a number of sources:

• Keywords
• Facebook Pages
• Twitter accounts
• RSS feeds

Once you take advantage of the Post Planner app, you simply hover your pointer over the content you want. That allows you to either post it immediately or add it to your queue.

They sky is the limit as to what sources you add to your custom Top Content collection. You could even use it as a way to store your own blog articles and quickly schedule posts to your Page straight from the Post Planner app.

I use Top Content for my feed aggregator! It lets me read blog articles all in one place, instead of having to bookmark them and constantly scan the internet for the best stuff!

I don't mean to be pushy, but if you've not yet taken Post Planner for a drive... what in the world are you waiting for? 

4. Themed posts

I'll admit this is one idea I don't use often enough. After doing some research on the stats, though, I'm convinced there's plenty of value here.

What do I mean by "themed posts"?

This is posting the same type of post once per week on your Page. 

A common practice in the social media niche is to have "Facebook Fridays" and let followers post links to their Pages in the comments. 

We'll use Kim Garst as an example again. Her weekly themed post crushes it!

In just 10 hours this post had 384 Likes, 45 Shares and over 430 comments!

Looking at previous weeks, the Page gets nearly identical engagement week after week after week.

People have learned to look forward to joining in every Friday. They EXPECT it -- which causes engagement to blow up!

Pick a theme to test and run with it for a few months to see how it does on your Page. You won't know unless you try. I don't advise having every day of the week as a different theme, though. That's too hard to keep up with and you'll get burned out.

5. Milestone celebrations

Sometimes it's okay to brag a little bit on Facebook! Especially when it's regarding follower count, special achievements, awards and such.

Our Page on Post Planner recently surpassed 150K likes. To honor our fans, we gave a shout-out to them with a fresh cover photo:

Letting people know they are a part of something bigger than themselves can do wonders for you on Facebook. We published a similar cover photo at the 100K mark and got a great response from it as well.

But milestones aren't only for passing a certain fan count. Maybe you received an award for your business -- show it off, like I did for my local bounce house business:

You might also make an announcement about a recent addition to your team.

We've done this at Post Planner with every major hire the past 2 years, and those posts tend to get an enthusiastic response.

Here's how we announced our recent hire of Rebekah Radice:

You don't have to create a fancy image like this, though. It's fine to just post a photo of the person along with your announcement. 

The key here is to celebrate achievements and invite your fans to the party.

After all, you're creating an active community for your brand or business. Everyone loves to have fun and get recognized.

>> Give Rebekah Radice some Post Planner LOVE <<

5 Facebook Post Ideas You Can Swipe and Add to Your Page -- Wrapping it Up!

A clear posting strategy and schedule is crucial to staying on top of social media management. Otherwise, you're in the fast lane on the road to getting discouraged and overwhelmed.

If you're simply posting when you feel like it, or posting what you 'think' is best, you'll fail every time. Take pains to know your audience. Give them the content they want and on do it on THEIR terms.

I use a custom schedule created inside Post Planner that keeps me organized. That way, I know posts will be going out on a consistent basis. Lack of consistency breeds confusion -- and confused fans don't stick around for long.

Once I have this schedule in place, it's just a matter of adding posts to my queue. The Post Planner app makes it simple for me to stay focused.

If you think I've been hammering the dickens out of Post Planner in this article, you're right. I'm not working on commission, though, I'm trying to get the word out about a tool that can help you do a whole lot more and a whole lot better in a whole lot less time.

Truth.

In this article, I've focused on these 5 Facebook post ideas:

1. Photo quotes
2. Original videos
3. Link posts
4. Themed posts
5. Milestone celebrations

Happy posting!

Got any favorites of your own? Let me know in the comments below. I'm all ears.