It’s the dominant Social Network by far with over two billion active monthly users so if you’re using Facebook for your company then it pays to be social. The more you share, respond, post and participate, the more you can expect to be able to leverage your page as a beacon for business and a place to build your online community.
Before we talk about best practices and the kind of things you should be thinking about to increase exposure of your page, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at why you created that page in the first place, or if you haven’t yet, what you are waiting for.
Over 60 million businesses can’t be wrong and many would say that if you have a company Facebook page, then you don’t even need a website. Effective both in the traditional online world and across mobile devices, your company page helps you to develop incredible relationships with your customers by communicating with them individually, creating content that works for them, while informing and educating about the company. If you’ve got a special offer, a new product or you just want to reach out and say ‘Hi’, Facebook is super engaging at keeping your customers connected and contented.
In addition to providing a social mouthpiece for your business, your Facebook page will also likely turn into your most convenient way of identifying and resolving customer service issues. Anytime something goes wrong – and let’s face it – they can do and often – it doesn’t take much for a disgruntled customer to take to Facebook to demand redress for the inconvenience caused, especially with the eyes of the social world watching Rather than treat these missives as an annoyance, embrace the opportunity they give you to show how much you care and by responding in the right way – with all the social world watching, you’ll be winning new customers as well as satisfying current ones.
Not only is it totally free to set up your Facebook company page, it can also provide a useful slew of analytical data, through the Facebook Pages Insights tool, to show how your users are interacting with your content and what type of posts get the most success. Once you work out the best format for your audience and the best time of day to engage them, then you’re really in business.
As is clear, there’s really no reason not to have a Facebook page and for any company that’s looking to build an online profile, by making it an integral part of your digital marketing strategy, you can considerably enhance your brand by blending the right content with a fairly simple formula.
But before we get too deep into content, take a moment to make sure you’re representing, with a striking profile photo, which may well be your corporate logo and cover photo. If you’re stuck for a cover photo, which should really be something that works on both desktops and mobile devices, take a gander at some databases like Google images or Pixabay, but just remember to pick the royalty free option. Also take the opportunity to put all the right information in the ‘about’ section this is where you are selling yourself so don’t skimp on the platitudes, without going OTT.
For content, frequent updates and postings are going to be the key to your success. Initially you’ll want to have a decent amount of content in place so there’s enough to engage any new visitors. Whether it’s news about your company, which should be relatively rare compared to airing your views on the key issues dominating your marketplace or more personal stories about your staff and any community endeavors, build the narrative alongside strong, fresh imagery and video. Think about the different types of content you can add to the page and develop a schedule for regular consistent updates to keep the attention on you and to regularly appear in your followers’ timelines.
Ensure that your content plan also includes a fair few promotional updates as it’s not only free advertising but Facebook gives you the chance to get really creative. Think beyond announcing a special offer for your Facebook friends and run a competition with a prize for the winner. Whether it’s the first to answer a question or a call for selfies outside your store or office, contests can be a great way to bring your content out of the box and build up some buzz.
Always look at how you can leverage Facebook’s Events function and host an event that you can invite your followers to, whether it is taking place on the ground or virtually, it’s a great diversion from your regular content and offers the chance to post numerous related updates to keep the conversation going.
Whenever you’re making a post don’t forget to tag your favorite followers and key market influencers. It’s easy to do and takes your content to a wider audience. At the end of the day, it’s all about being social so don’t be shy and get everyone involved. Considering the vast number of potential new customers, your optimised Facebook page combined with clever content, might just be your greatest friend
