When do Users Interact and React to Content on Facebook?

The purpose of this paper is to determine which characteristics are important for the success of a brand post on Facebook. Characteristics such as post content and style are investigated for small and medium enterprises (SME) in Germany. First, a comprehensive review is completed on the latest research regarding the impact of post content for the success of Facebook posts and user motivations to like or share a post. The results of this review indicate which drivers influence a post's number of likes, comments and shares. Next, the impact of these drivers is examined under the conditions of German SME. For this purpose, 15 Facebook users were questioned in a 45-minute semi-structured qualitative interview to determine whether they like several posts with different styles or content. Furthermore, the respondents were asked about their personal opinion on the posts and which elements they prefer. The results show that responded preferences differ strongly, especially regarding text style and use of text markups. The respondents tend to prefer posts with informational content and not just advertisements. The use of images and videos in a post has a very positive impact on respondent perception, who appreciate the added value of these elements. With regards to the motivation of users for liking a post, the results show that altruism is a strong driver for all post types. For posts containing advertisements, promotions, or contests, the main driver for likes is personal gain, such as financial benefit. Overall, the findings of this research are similar to former studies, having identified the positive impact of images, videos, and informational content. The differences for posts of SME and German users are their preferences, especially regarding the text length or style of the post. In conclusion, the results show a broad range of Facebook user preferences, which will require further research in the field of SME brand pages to issue a clear statement on the success or failure of brand posts.