Facebook is by far the largest social media network. In fact with 2.27 billion active users – 1.5 billion of which log on daily – it’s the biggest social network in the world. On top of that 53% of Facebook users claim to be “always on” Facebook.
With such a wide reach it’s not surprising that many marketing experts consider Facebook to potentially be the most important social platform to be on. While there are some social media outlets that are niche (Snapchat, Tumblr, etc.) Facebook is not an option. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to use it.
Many consumers now use Facebook as a way to research a company before purchasing. A professional and consistently active presence on Facebook could be the difference a new customer and a lost sale.
Here are a few tops tips to get you started.
Fill Out Your Business Page
First things first, you have to set up a business page and fill it out completely! When you go to sign up for a business page you’ll go through the process of setting up your page step-by-step so that you’ll have the right kind of page.
After that it’s time to fill it out as completely as possible. Using high-quality, professional images throughout your profile is important so that your brand looks legit and not like a scam. I can’t tell you how many business pages I’ve seen that look so sloppy that I decided against the purchase because I’m afraid to give out my credit card info. Don’t let that happen to you!
Using your logo as your profile picture will allow people to quickly identify that they’ve come to the right place! You can get creative when it comes to your cover photo though, feel free to change this out regularly but not all the time. You can feature an image of a recently launched product or from your current marketing campaign. Just make sure it’s on brand.
You’ll also want to make sure to fill out your about section completely! Fill out everything you can, the more sections you can provide information on the better. This includes contact info such as P.O. box/mailing address, phone number, email, etc.
Don’t forget to add a shop now button to your page as well.
Content is Key
When it comes to social media, it’s not enough to just put out content, you need to put out good content! What is good content? Good content…
- Adds value
- Is engaging
- Includes great images
- Requires research
- Has personality
- Takes time
There is no one right answer for what kind of content you should produce. Take a look at any social media network and you’ll see a ton of different kinds of content doing really, really well. From goofy comedy channels to toy and product reviews there’s a place for everything. What you need to do if figure out what your niche likes.
If you fall within your own target market, producing content that you like is a great place to start. Really great content takes time and research but the important thing is to start posting and start experimenting. You won’t know what works until you try!
Types of Content to Make
Facebook has come a long way since it was founded and that includes what types of content we get to publish. There are 4 main options:
- Images
- Text
- Video
- Live
Each one has its place and it’s important to have a good mix. Only posting one type of content can get boring for your followers and you might notice that interaction on your posts will fall. Right now, it’s all about video and Facebook live.
You may or may not know that Facebook for businesses is really a pay-to-play model. They limit how much of your content your followers get to see forcing you to spend money on ads to increase your reach. But when Facebook releases new features that it wants people to adopt it rewards early adopters by allowing their content to spread further.
For people who jumped on Facebook Watch, Facebook Live and Facebook Stories early they were rewarded with a lot more free attention. This is why it’s always a good idea to experiment with new types of content early on.
Customer Service and Reviews
As I mentioned before, many customers will seek out a company’s Facebook page to research before a purchase but it’s also where many people go for customer service. Facebook messenger has become a huge tool that many companies capitalize on in order to communicate one-on-one with customers.
The faster you respond the better. If you’re very responsive you’ll even get a little badge on your page that says so! Keep in mind that customers expect a response within 4 hours. You don’t have to be on Facebook 24/7 to keep up though, there are plenty of chatbots that you can set up to auto-respond to common customer questions.
Aside from messenger make sure that you’re interacting and responding to customer comments and on your posts. This will help to not only provide good customer service but also help you to build your brand and a sense of community!
Your reviews are also important to keep an eye on because they’ll have a huge impact on your brand and how people perceive you. Some brands to respond to every review – good and bad. You can decide what works best for you but that personal touch can go a long way.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads are considered by some to be the holy grail of all online advertising. With so many tools and the ability to target niche groups so easily it’s easy to see why some entrepreneurs are so obsessed with them.
While Facebook ads are a great way to grow your business it’s important to understand that they’re part of a well-rounded strategy that also includes everything we’ve already discussed. Even Facebook ads won’t work if the content you’re promoting sucks or you ignore the activity on your ad.
Since this is an intro to Facebook marketing as a whole and not just Facebook ads we wanted to point you in the right direction to learn more. There are many great guides from industry experts out there, a couple of our favorites come from Shopify and Oberlo.
The Takeaway
While you might be tempted to focus on pushing offers and focusing on sales your Facebook page should be more than that. It’s a great outlet for you to show off your brand, build up a community as well as acquire new customers.
Read: How to Build Your Supplement Brand on Instagram