A study from Buddy Media explores what to post on Facebook to encourage social sharing and Likes.

LinkedIn and Twitter are generating a lot of buzz within the internet marketing community these days, but (as Brafton has reported) tried-and-true site Facebook still takes the lead in terms of daily visits. Social marketers may benefit from a study from Buddy Media that explores how to encourage Facebook Likes.

The study, Strategies for Effective Facebook Wall Posts: A Statistical Review, examines what to post on Facebook in order to have successful Facebook engagement. The firm analyzed Facebook results for more than 200 businesses across industries to determine best practices.

One of the first takeaways offered in the study is to keep marketing posts short and sweet. Posts that consist of 80 characters or less demonstrated 27 percent higher engagement rates than longer ones.

When generating content for Facebook, the study found that simple, action-based keywords are best. Phrases such as “Like,” “submit,” “click,” “comment” and “post” performed better than “tell us” or “become a fan.” Also, socially oriented words performed better than conversion-driven words, such as “order” or “shop.”

The study also found that consumers seem to treat the “Like” button as a “yes” button on brands' walls. Comments posing “would” or “should” questions that can be answered with yes or no drove engagement and Likes more than “why,” “how” or “what” questions.

Based on Buddy Media's findings, marketers may want to give their Facebook marketing campaigns a facelift. While these tips may help with Facebook-exclusive posts, brands should also remember to distribute links to their site content on Facebook in an effort to drive traffic.

Recent figures from the search giant indicate that more than 30 billion pieces of content are shared via the site each month.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.