Social media is a key component of growing a business and deepening loyalty among your current customer bases. Establishing yourself as an authority on social media requires a consistent presence and voice. Aligning posts with brand identity is no easy task and failing to post and respond consistently can quickly result in a dwindling community and potentially lost business. Social media is a powerful marketing and outreach platform, but it requires know-how — even on Facebook, one of the stalwarts of a social media presence. We’ve compiled some tips on using Facebook for business effectively.
Personalize Your Page
A bare-bones biography or “About” section on Facebook won’t command the kind of attention you want to achieve. First on your list: Methodically brand your page. Every sentence and image reflect upon your business, so make them count!
How do you do this? Post useful information, not simply funny memes and observations. These are fine for your personal page, but for your business, your posts should help your clients/customers (and potential clients/customers) by adding value. Posts should accomplish one of several things:
- Share news about your business such as new products, updated hours or the opening of new locations,
- Give customers insight about your product or service so they learn more about what you do,
- Share insight about your industry with tips and hacks that will benefit your target audience,
- Provide “behind-the-scenes” glimpses of your business with employee photos, or photos of projects in process,
- Include a call to action such as read more on our blog, visit our website, or call today.
Also, consider your Facebook page an extension of your website and make sure everything from your posts to your timeline photos are on brand. Have a consistent voice and tone in the verbiage and set a color palette for graphics.
Look Outside Yourself
Although you use your business page for marketing, don’t focus solely on selling products or services because it gets old and quickly turns off your audience. Outside content is key as well, especially industry news that will interest your followers. Avoid controversial topics – unless activism IS your brand! You want to stay focused on your branding and your audience.
One way to do this: Repost informative articles from reputable publications that relate to your business. Also, link to other related businesses, such as suppliers or subcontractors that you use and support. Keep track of which posts get the most feedback from users and visit competitors’ pages to see what’s getting attention.
This is where analytics are key. Use the data provided by Facebook to review your popular posts, which were shared, which got comments, and more. Data will indicate the best time of day for your posts, which type are most popular, and how many people saw the posts.
And engage with users by having a pleasant, on-brand online personality; responding promptly to replies; and using Messenger to communicate for immediate needs. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is ignoring their Facebook followers, who are usually some of their most loyal clients/customers. This is particularly true of unhappy customers who post a negative comment or review. Reply promptly and acknowledge if an error were made or be diplomatic if you don’t believe your business is at fault. Acknowledging a customer’s frustration goes along way toward improving relations.
Use the Right Post
Different types of posts achieve different types of goals on Facebook for business. Mastering the art of selecting the right one for your needs will help build your online identity.
Text posts are great for sparking discussion and are a good choice for questions, polls, or feedback requests. Photo posts, on the other hand, are better suited to call attention to your product or service and might include infographics, illustrations, or photographs of your work.
Video posts see higher engagement than photo posts, but they also require more effort. Consider using them for announcements, advertisements, or narrative-driven information. If you want to highlight charity work, video or live video posts are a fantastic choice.
Finally, posts linking to your website or blog can establish you as an authority while also sending you more traffic. Make sure you link to your best content and use an intriguing image for the URL preview.
These are just a handful of considerations when using Facebook as a marketing tool for your business. Our experienced team can help you navigate the complexities, so please contact us for more details.
AZ Media Maven is based in Laveen, AZ, a suburban village in the greater Phoenix area. Owner Rose Tring has more than 30 years of journalism experience as an editor and writer, many of those years in business news. AZ Media Maven was created in 2012 to serve other business owners in learning how to best use social media and to provide affordable public relations services. Reach AZ Media Maven by emailing azmediamaven@azmediamaven.com, or calling (602) 373-8371.
I completely agree with your viewpoint. Well said!