So, in part 1 of this series, we determined our objective and our strategy and in part 2, we considered our target audience. We will certainly want to talk about Ads and Analytic Tools as well, but we’re not here quite yet. For now, let’s talk about content. After all, the content on your page is your cornerstone for building and maintaining followers.
Posts on Facebook - and most social media outlets for that matter - are more successful when they connect with your audience in an authentic way. It can be difficult for a business to navigate that idea since the temptation is to be more business-oriented. While is it, of course, important to maintain a level of professionalism, remember that Facebook was created as a social interaction site, targeted more towards individuals than for businesses. As its relevance evolved, however, its perceived usefulness expanded. It’s a great tool for businesses to get their brand out into the world, however, a more casual approach should be considered. So here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when posting on your business Facebook page.
Keep it short and sweet
It’s a good idea to create basic updated and post about things in which your customers would find interest. Now that you’ve identified your target audience, knowing that which should appeal to them should not be terribly difficult. Your post should not be convoluted or even very long. And remember that, even when you keep it simple, you can get draw attention to your posts, once published, by pinning the post to the top of your page or embedding the post into your website. You can accomplish either of these tasks by clicking on the arrow in the top right corner of your post once it is published and choosing the option from the drop-down menu.
Pin to Top: keeps your post at the top of your page. It’ll be the first post people see, which is great if you have an important update or event.
Embed Post: add the post to your website. If there’s a special post you would like for visitors to your website to see, FB will provide you the code to add to the HTML of your web page.
Use eye-catching photos, graphics, and videos
Posts with attention-grabbing photos, graphics, and videos stand out in news feeds and will draw more attention. It is, therefore, more likely that people like, comment, or share your post with others which is how you expand your audience.
Interact
It’s important that the page manager is interacting with your followers by responding quickly to comments. When you are responsive, you’ll find that customers will be as well. It’s also a good idea to visit your clients’ pages and comment or share their content. Frequently, they will return the favor and you can help each other to build a following.
Pay attention and post more of what customers want to see. When you learn how your customers are responding, you’ll be able to post more of what they enjoy. And don't be afraid to show some personality. Posting on your page is about quality, not quantity. From there, you can build on your more popular updates, post more of what your followers like, and avoid posting that in which they are not interested. Analytic tools can help you more here as well, and we’ll discuss that in a later blog in this series.
Keep a Calendar
When special events or holidays are approaching, mention them or incorporate them into your posts. Planning and scheduling posts around important dates—like Independence Day, Halloween, or even silly days like May the Fourth Be With You (Star Wars Day)—means you’ll be more likely to get attention.
Post about offers, events, or milestones for your business. Click on “Offer, Event +” at the top of your status update field. This is a great tool for businesses.
Link Posts to your Website
When you add a link to your post, it automatically creates an image from the website and a shows a large, clickable area that makes it easy for people to go to that site. Consider customizing the headline and description to intrigue your customers and give them a reason to click!
So, hopefully these tips on how to manage your content will come in handy. Check back for more posts in this series which will get into the nuts and bolts of how to manage ads and utilize analytics.