Did you know scheduling your Facebook Party posts is just as important as planning your content, maybe even more so? It’s true. In fact, bad timing could be the reason your posts are chirping louder than the sound of crickets on a quiet summer night. An early morning notification on a Facebook Party before your party guest has had their coffee might inspire them (in a not good way) to change their RSVP from Going to Ignore. Multiple posts timed less than 5 minutes apart could also lead to a mass exit of party guests from not only your Facebook Party event, but your group where you might have created the event. Yikes.
Stop wasting your time and start having better Facebook Parties with these 5 super scheduling tips:
1. Post When People Are On Facebook: The best times to post on Facebook are Monday – Friday between 2 & 4pm (local time for your party) – the most popular workday Facebook break time – or after 8pm – when kids have gone to bed. During the weekends it’s the opposite: post between 10am – Noon on Saturday and Sunday mornings, or after 8pm on Sunday night.
2. Ask Your Hostess: This might seem super simple, but your Hostess is your best resource for planning your party posts. Ask your Hostess 3 key questions:
1. Do most of the guests work full time, or are they stay-at-home Moms? If most of the guests are SAHMs, change your party posts from 2-4pm to nap time (again, the local time for your party).
2. What time zone does everyone live in? If you’re on Eastern time but most of the guests are on Pacific time, your 2pm EST post will be arriving at 11AM PST. Chirp. Chirp.
3. Are there any church or school events going on the week of the party? For example, don’t schedule a party post during Wednesday night service/Bible study if that’s where all the party guests will be.
3. Use A Scheduling Tool: Break free from your phone and schedule all your party posts in advance so you can focus on engagement during the live party. You’ll also be able to hold multiple parties in multiple time zones on the same night. Go you! Use the (free) built-in Facebook scheduling tool on biz page events or, if your company requires you to hold private Facebook parties (in Groups), I recommend the Cinchshare app. Use code cinchfree to get an extra 30 days added to your 7 day free trial. I use Cinchshare daily to schedule all my Facebook Group posts and I’ve shared the stage with CinchShare CEO, Jennifer Johnson, to teach Direct Sellers about Social Selling. She’s what I call ‘good people’. The other reason I recommend Cinchshare is that you won’t find spammy features that could land you in Facebook jail, like automating comments. Comments were designed to be used in real time so you can build relationships and get a two-way conversation going. Automate your posts, not your authenticity.
4. Limit Pre-Party Posts: Avoid annoying party guests with multiple notifications by limiting posts to once a day as you lead up to party time. Guests will be more likely to find out what you posted if you don’t overdo it. Less is always more, which includes posting multiple photos within a short period of time. Never a good idea. Instead, create an album on your biz page and share the link to the album in one post.
5. Factor in holidays and special events: Holidays, special events, and even popular TV shows can all make or break your Facebook Party engagement and results. For example, a morning post on Black Friday – when everyone’s on Facebook posting shopping selfies – might get more attention than an afternoon post when all the Black Friday shoppers tend to crash and burn because they woke up at 4AM (speaking from experience). And, if you’ve checked your News Feed during American Idol you probably know who your friends are voting for. Schedule your post during a popular TV show and I’m betting guests will see the notification and click on over during the commercial break to see what you posted. You’re welcome.
If you need more help than join my VIP mentoring program for direct sellers and get 2 free gifts: What to post on your Facebook Page to book more Facebook parties and my Epic Vendor Events Course – a $97 value. Learn more
Lynn Bardowski is an award-winning entrepreneur and bestselling author of Success Secrets of a Million Dollar Party Girl. She speaks to global audiences about Direct Sales success, vision and social selling and is a resource for press, media and bloggers. Like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel.
