Abstract
Facebook, the most widely used social media platform, has been adopted by public health organisations for health promotion and behaviour change campaigns and activities. However, limited information is available on the most effective and efficient use of Facebook for this purpose. This study sought to identify the features of Facebook posts that are associated with higher user engagement on Australian public health organisations’ Facebook pages. We selected 20 eligible pages through a systematic search and coded 360-days of posts for each page. Posts were coded by: post type (e.g., photo, text only etc.), communication technique employed (e.g. testimonial, informative etc.) and use of marketing elements (e.g., branding, use of mascots). A series of negative binomial regressions were used to assess associations between post characteristics and user engagement as measured by the number of likes, shares and comments. Our results showed that video posts attracted the greatest amount of user engagement, although an analysis of a subset of the data suggested this may be a reflection of the Facebook algorithm, which governs what is and is not shown in user newsfeeds and appear to preference videos over other post types. Posts that featured a positive emotional appeal or provided factual information attracted higher levels of user engagement, while conventional marketing elements, such as sponsorships and the use of persons of authority, generally discouraged user engagement, with the exception of posts that included a celebrity or sportsperson. Our results give insight into post content that maximises user engagement and begins to fill the knowledge gap on effective use of Facebook by public health organisations.
Highlights
In countries with high Internet penetration, many people gather in online communities to share information, knowledge, and opinions; platforms facilitating these gatherings are known collectively as ‘social media’.[1]
Use of Facebook is greatest among young adults (18–29 years), significant proportions of older adults and adolescents maintain a Facebook profile, underlining the ubiquity of this social media platform. [2, 4]
This study aimed to review the use of Facebook by Australian public health organisations to identify features of their posting activity that are associated with user engagement, which we define as likes, shares, or comments
Summary
In countries with high Internet penetration, many people gather in online communities to share information, knowledge, and opinions; platforms facilitating these gatherings are known collectively as ‘social media’.[1]. Facebook, a social networking platform, is by far the most widely used social media.[2, 3] For example, in Australia, nearly two-thirds of adults maintain a Facebook profile, compared with. Facebook and Public Health Communication less than one-fifth of adults for the two most popular sites, LinkedIn and Instagram.[2] almost 40% of Australian Facebook users log in 20 times or more per week, far exceeding any other platform. Research from the United States has shown that while the rate of new members joining Facebook may have slowed, engagement has intensified, with over 70% of Facebook users engaging with the site at least once a day and 45% several times a day.[4] use of Facebook is greatest among young adults (18–29 years), significant proportions of older adults and adolescents maintain a Facebook profile, underlining the ubiquity of this social media platform. Use of Facebook is greatest among young adults (18–29 years), significant proportions of older adults and adolescents maintain a Facebook profile, underlining the ubiquity of this social media platform. [2, 4]
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