Bin Shen and Kimberly Bussell from the University of Alabama performed a content analysis of the Facebook pages of six different beauty brands over nine months: Este ́e Lauder, MAC cosmetics, Clinique, L’Oreal, Maybelline, and CoverGirl. Information of the analysis included post time and accumulation of likes, comments and shares. Posts were divided into event, product, promotion, entertainment and other, based on viral marketing rules and aspects.
The results revealed that entertainment was the most popular type of post for engagement, though the type of entertainment did not significantly matter. Overall, the number of likes on each post increased significantly more than the number of comments. All stores showed that posts for events for that particular day were more engaging than posts in the future or past. Additionally, researchers found that reposting a post or adding a link to a product proved to be more engaging than videos.
The full text of the study can be found here:
Shen, B., & Bissell, K. (2013). Social media, social me: A content analysis of beauty companies’ use of Facebook in marketing and branding. Journal of Promotion Management, 19(5), 629-651.