Creating a Facebook page for your small business is intimidating. You probably have a personal account you're used to posting on regularly, but Facebook posts on your business page will be a little different. LIke most small businesses, you probably don’t have a team of marketers dedicated to run your social media platforms, and therefore it can feel overwhelming to create, grow, and maintain your business’s Facebook presence.
Here are five tips you can follow in about 30 minutes to help your page succeed:
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Set Goals for Your Page
Just posting ad after ad for your new product doesn’t work on Facebook. The businesses that succeed at Facebook marketing learn how to become a welcome part of their fans’ newsfeed by posting interesting information and helpful updates (as well as fun content to prove you have a healthy sense of humor). The best way to organize your posts and strategy on Facebook is to write up a simple plan for how often and when you'll post, what types of content you intend to share, and when to spend money on promoted posts. Update this plan continuously based on how engaged your fans are and how the nature of your content might change.
Facebook members like to be engaged with the brands that they follow, so try and make your posts interactive and welcoming to conversation rather than just static company updates. So ask questions, put out polls, or ask for feedback in your Facebook posts. -
Upload a Nice Cover Photo
Your profile picture should include your company logo, but don’t neglect the cover image (the wide image across the top of your page). Use a photo that conveys your business’s tagline, mission, message, or as a digital poster for an upcoming event or sale. Be creative. The more eye-catching, the better, since this is what your visitors will see first.
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Share Videos and Colorful Images Often
Sharing a great article or post doesn’t guarantee it will be popular. Consumers are more interested in seeing an image with concise language and appealing colors than just some plain text. Visual and multimedia content generates 94% more views, on average, than pure text. If you’re interested in creating easy graphics for your business events or announcements, Canva is a great place to start.
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Post When Your Fans are Online
When you post on Facebook can be nearly as important as what you post. Post too early or too late during the day or evening and what you share won’t reach nearly as many people. Data shows that the best time to post content is between 1:00 and 4:00pm- but, this depends on your customer demographic. If you own a daycare center, you know that parents following your page most likely work all day and check Facebook early in the morning or late at night (or maybe even during a lunch break). Experiment with posts in those time ranges. You can get pretty exact intel into when your followers are active by clicking the “Insights” tab at the top of your business’s Facebook page, and then clicking “Posts” in the left hand column. You might find that many of your fans check in between 7 and 8pm, so a post sent out then could be very successful.
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Ask Some Happy Customers to Give You a Review
Facebook reviews on your business page can make a big difference when customers search you online. Reach out to anyone who leaves a bad review to see if you can fix the situation and maybe even get them to update their rating. And in the meantime, ask your favorite customers to leave a quick positive review on your page. Just a handful of 5-star ratings can have a big impact on potential customers.
