Top 10 Facebook Must-Do’s for Your Business

Contrary to popular belief…Facebook isn’t going anywhere! While other platforms are emerging onto the scene, Facebook is still the social media giant. Roughly 60% of the U.S. adult population has accounts, which means it’s the place you should need to be when it comes to your digital strategy. But just being there doesn’t cut it anymore. Your business needs to be consciously and consistently utilizing this medium’s capabilities, otherwise, you could be missing out on the low-hanging fruit of the online marketing world. Compared to other forms of traditional advertising; Facebook is one of the cheapest, most effective, and most efficient options.

We know what you’re thinking…

“I can’t dedicate my life to marketing on Facebook, or I won’t have a business to market.”

We get that, which is why we’ve made it easy for you and put together the top ten practices vital for Facebook business success:

1. Post enough

We know, that’s not vague at all. But we say this because it truly depends. It depends on your audience, your fan number, and the type of content you have to share. That being said, overall in order to stay relevant, you must stay active. For some, active might be posting once a day, and for others, it might be posting once a week. Play around, do some testing, and eventually, you’ll figure out what works best for likes and engagement.

Just remember without activity on your timeline, your fans and potential customers will forget about you and your product or service. We don’t recommend posting just to post, but instead keeping them updated on what’s going on at your business, in your field, and in the world (holidays, appropriate events, etc.) Sound overwhelming? Here’s a couple *Tips

• Share others’ relevant posts when you’re low on inspirational content – Articles, funny memes, events, etc.
• Schedule multiple posts at once ahead of time to save energy – Learn how here

2. Advertise

Every business should advertise on Facebook, and we mean EVERY business. The cost per impression rates are competitive, you have lots of control over targeting and the results are measurable. No matter your target audience, chances are this is the advertising platform for you.

Don’t know how to run a FB ad campaign?

• Facebook teaches you how here
• Or Production Monkeys would be happy to take the Facebook advertising monkey off of your back J Give us a call at 262-5075

3. Be not Share company/personnel milestones and activities

Other channels may frown on the use of fun, lighthearted content, but Facebook is not that channel; in fact, it’s encouraged! It’s a great place to announce a coworker’s birthday, your company’s 10th anniversary, or a photo of the staff out for dinner at the new sushi restaurant.
People visit Facebook to be entertained, not to be overwhelmed by sales messages. While we still recommend the majority of your content be focused on your product/service, we’d say at least 25% should have some flare. A big reason people use Facebook is to gain insider information they can’t get from other marketing platforms.

4. Run contests and promotions

A great way to gain engagement from Facebook users is to give them stuff. Preferably something related to your product or service whether it’s a gift card or the product itself. Many businesses think giving away something flashy like a trip or a TV is their best bet. While you might get people to engage, do you think they’ll be thinking about your business while they’re lying on the beach in Maui? And be sure to test out different contests and prizes to see what entices users the most.

Tips

• This is a great example of when to use ads because Facebook allows you to optimize them for engagement.
• Make sure to actually pick a winner and then post about it. People will notice if you don’t and it will end up looking like a scam.

A few ideas to spark your imagination

• Like our page for a chance at a free massage from our salon.
• Share this post for a chance at a complimentary detail package.
• What’s your favorite dog breed? Comment with your answer below for a chance at a free dog grooming for your furry friend.
• Post a picture of the most creative Halloween costume you’ve ever worn for a chance at $X to Pizza Palace.

5. Reply to comments and messages

 One of the biggest mistakes businesses make on Facebook is unknowingly ignoring questions, comments, and feedback. If a customer feels strongly enough to comment on a post, write on your timeline or send a direct message, you must respect their thoughts by responding in a prompt and courteous way. And if that’s not enough reason, Facebook reports to pages visitors how quickly your business responds to messages.

Tips

• Designate someone, if not multiple people to be notified when someone engages with your brand. This way it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle and someone is always on a response ASAP.
• We probably don’t have to tell you businessmen, but never send an argumentative or equally negative response to bad feedback, even if it is in a private message.
• Learn to recognize spam. If you see an irrelevant or overall fishy-looking comment on a post, delete it and then block the account that wrote it.

6. Be visual

Facebook gives a very strong preference to visually-oriented posts and ads. This means there is no longer a place for status updates with no photo, graphic or video included, and it means the graphics and photos used for ads should feature little to no overlaying copy.

Tip

Native video (a video uploaded directly into your post from your desktop) is proven to be given more organic reach than any other type of post.

7. Encourage customers to leave Facebook reviews

 Consumers are extremely persuaded by what others think of a brand when making purchase decisions. And because Facebook is such a highly-populated medium, it’s a sure bet that potential buyers will see those reviews when researching a product, service, or brand. Start by reaching out to existing customers that you know will leave you a positive review, and then periodically post the option and directions to rate your business in case customers would like to but just don’t know where.

8. Use Google Analytics to measure your performance

 It’s all fine and well to put your best foot forward on Facebook and assume you’re doing A+ work, but there’s no way to know for sure without seeing for yourself how much traffic is being pushed to your website and/or landing pages, as this is the ultimate goal for most businesses. So be sure you have Google Analytics enabled on your site and then periodically check your referral traffic to see how much Facebook is responsible for.

Tips

• It’s also good practice to use UTM tracking URL’s in your posts when you’re sending visitors back to your website. This enables Google Analytics to tell you where visitors came from as well as what campaign directed them there. Learn how to use them here

9. Populate and brand your business page/profile

 You don’t want people visiting your business’ profile and wondering, “Am I in the right place?”

• Make your page pop with an eye-catching, brand-specific profile photo and cover image (find the correct dimensions here)
• Populate the About tab with your hours, business description, contact information, etc. If there is a field to populate, populate it.
• Include a call to action button. You’ll find it in the upper right-hand corner of your profile directly under the cover image. It can be anything from Contact Us, to Shop Here or Learn More.

10. Use Facebook apps

 These are custom CTA’s (calls to action) that direct Facebook page visitors to do something beneficial to your brand efforts. The possibilities are endless with these babies, but here are a couple of our favorite strategies:

• Quizzes, surveys, and other promotions mentioned in point #4.

This makes it possible for users to participate directly from your Facebook profile, which also gains preferred reach as we mentioned in point #8.

• Email signup forms

This allows future customers to sign up for your email newsletter (another post for another day) from a platform they are already accustomed to and are already utilizing.

Not sure how to install apps? Facebook explains it here or feel free to give Production Monkeys a call, we’d be happy to help with setup.

 

So there you have it. Facebook success in 10 simple steps. Overwhelmed and slightly woozy? Don’t be deterred, Facebook for businesses can seem daunting if you’re new to the process, but between their user-friendly interface, a little practice, and help from your favorite monkeys, you’ll be Facebook-ing with the best of ‘em in no time!

We LOVE managing clients’ social media. Give our account managers a call at 262-5075 if the ‘no thanks I’d rather someone else do it’ philosophy sounds more your style.