The trend towards online marketing has increased, with internet based promotion becoming a major part of businesses’ marketing strategies. Through Facebook, businesses can target their market segment, attract customers and elicit interactions with people who like their page. Many businesses are using Facebook not only to increase awareness about their products and services but to create two-way conversations that engages customers (fans) and prospects. A corporate Facebook page can enhance the popularity and sales of your business.
Are you using Facebook pages to catch the attention of your prospects and customers? Instead of debating whether to create a business page or not, think along the lines of how you can attract more fans and develop a loyal following. Facebook is free to use and you can delete your page if it does not deliver the results you want.
To make optimal use of your Facebook business page, we’ve outlined 10 key tips to create the ultimate Facebook business page for your brand.
1) Develop a Strategy – According to Gary Vaynerchuk, social media expert and author of The Thank Your Economy, “Everybody needs a strategy.” Develop a social media strategy that will help you keep focused on your goal. To keep your business and fan base growing, ensure your Facebook business page status updates and content support your overall company goals.
2) Understand the Features –There are a lot of different features and if you just focus on one, it might not get the benefit you need. From creating events to posting photos of your products, to updating your status or announcing a new product or service, understand the capabilities of the page and determine which features to use to enhance the look of your Facebook business page.
3) Explain Who You Are – Start your “About” section with the most enticing text since site visitors can only see the first part on entry. Consider the “About” information space your elevator pitch. Use this space to concisely explain who you are and why your company is valuable.
4) Increase Your Exposure – Once your page is up get people to like it. Ask your friends on Facebook, or use the “Invite Friends” link on the right side of your page to ask people to “like” your wall posts. Keep in mind that every Facebook user who becomes a fan of your business page promotes it to all his or her friends too. You never know how many fans a friend can generate for your business. Remember, the more popular the page, the more visible it will be on the newsfeed of your friends and fans. Try putting one of Facebook’s social plug-ins on your website and include a link to your Facebook page in your email signature.
5) Offer Relevant Content on a Regular Basis– Offering relevant and interesting content on a regular basis helps maintain a solid Facebook presence. Get personal and create content that will build a community, showcase the personality of your business and engage your fans. Offer a mix of content such as blog posts, links to webinars, ebooks and content from other thought leaders. Post details of an upcoming event your company is holding or attending, publish pictures of recent work or events your company attended or a new product or service.
6) Create an Interactive User Experience – Create an interactive experience for your customers by enabling them to post freely to your page. One of the best features about Facebook is that it gives users a friendly platform to engage with clients and potential customers and it is really easy for them to spread the word about you. Wall posts allow people to express themselves and tell you exactly how they feel about your product or service. Enable the capability on your privacy settings to encourage customer engagement and interaction.
7) Upload Photos – Many companies use this feature to put up pictures of its product and/or customers using its product. Allow your fans the capability of tagging photos of themselves using your product to your page. Set the photo option to “Everyone” so you can foster a closer connection to your customers.
8) Pose Questions – What better way to provide what your customers want then to ask them what they want? Pose questions to your Facebook fans to encourage discussion and conversation on your Facebook page. Spark discussions by asking questions regularly and request for input or ask for ideas about a particular topic. This helps build relationships with your visitors and fans in addition to discovering and meeting their needs.
9) Add Custom Page Applications and Custom-Built Tabs –Facebook applications will help you create a richer, more engaging Facebook page. Does your business have a YouTube channel, a SlideShare page, or a Flickr account? Consider adding apps for those sites and pull in content from those channels onto your Facebook page. Use the custom tabs to showcase customer testimonials and case studies, promote featured content or provide more information about your products or services. Building custom tabs can set your page apart from your competitors and attract more customer engagement.
10) Utilize Facebook Insights – How many interactions did you have with fans this week? How many people commented on your posts? Where are your fans located? Answers to these questions will enable you to make better use of your page plan and future communication activities.
Too often companies are just throwing information out on their Facebook pages hoping it sticks. As Facebook business pages are quickly turning into Facebook websites and interactive tools, it’s important to continuously brand your page well, make it easy to find, keep the content up-to-date and relevant and engage with your visitors. Create fresh content on a regular basis and don’t replicate what’s on your company website.
What tips are you using to increase exposure and reach on your company’s Facebook page?
Please teach the rest of these internet hooliagns how to write and research!