Following on from my Facebook Basics Part 1 - Understanding the business benefits of Facebook article last week, this is the second and final part and looks at some Facebook facts and tips that will help you get the most out of your Facebook activities. You will also find some suggestions for engagement activities that you can take away and implement on your own Facebook wall straight away.
Some Facebook Facts
- Facebook has over a billion worldwide users, making it the world’s biggest social network.
- Almost half of the population of the UK now uses Facebook.
- Functionality differs on Facebook pages for individuals and Facebook pages for businesses. People can follow (become a fan of) your business page by clicking ‘Like’ rather than having to make or accept a friend request.
- Whenever you post to your Facebook wall, your page fans will see your content show up in their own Facebook news feed.*
- Building a community takes real, sustained effort to achieve and does not happen overnight.
- Facebook is continually evolving, with the new Timeline introduced in March 2013 and Facebook Graph Search rolled out around the same time.
- A Facebook advert or cover image must contain no more than 20% text.
- There are countless Facebook apps for smart phones that make it super easy to monitor and post content to your page when you are out of the office or away from your desk.
- 1 in 3 small businesses actively use Facebook.
- Facebook insights provide you with in-page analytics which will help you identify the type of content people like the most and the days and times when engagement is at its highest.
*This is not always the case. Facebook’s Edgerank algorithm governs exactly what your fans will see in their feeds (or not) and it is possible for people to become fans of your page but choose to ‘turn off’ your content so that they don’t see it in their feed. People only tend to do this if the content you post is not relevant to them (which means they are highly unlikely to become customers) or your content may be relevant but annoying due to repetition or too high a posting frequency.
15 Facebook Tips
- Facebook has lots of rules and guidelines. Fall foul of these and you could find your page shut down. Not much of a problem for a new page with few followers, but for an established page with a thriving community this can be devastating so make sure you have a good read of the rules before you do anything.
- When you set up your business page make sure you choose the most appropriate category to list your business under.
- Your page should be called the same as your business name and don’t forget to set up your vanity URL so the link to your page doesn’t include a random string of numbers.
- Unlike on your personal Facebook page, your profile picture should usually be of your logo or something clearly branded and immediately recognisable.
- Make sure you make the most of your business page by including a clear, attractive cover picture and by filling in all of your company information including your website address and contact details.
- If you are the admin for more than one page, make sure you post on the wall under the correct company identity, by selecting the “use Facebook as” dropdown option at the top right of the page
- Always post pictures to accompany your text – not only does this increase engagement, but this also means that you can then edit the text content of your post should you need to.
- Include calls to action whenever you post sales or action oriented content, ask people to click for more information, ask them what they think and so on.
- Include product links or links through to information pages on your website whenver you post to make it super easy for people to find out more or buy from you.
- Use a URL shortener whenever you post links such as Bitly or goo.gl to make long URLs easier on the eye, that way they don’t detract from your content as much.
- There is nothing more off-putting that an unloved Facebook wall. Avoid sporadic posting, if you can’t do an update once a day, then at least a couple of times a week, but even if you only update a few times a week, you must monitor your wall at least daily.
- Don’t put too much effort into building an audience for your page until you’ve got some content on there. If you go to the effort of attracting new visitors and your wall is empty, they won’t have any reason to like your page or to stick around. Try to aim for around half a dozen posts on your wall before you start actively promoting.
- Make sure time is built in every day, to monitor your Facebook wall – this is critical in allowing you to join in and shape the conversations that are evolving and to be available to answer customer service or any pre-sales questions.
- Track and analyse your Facebook wall stats and you’ll gain valuable insights into what activities work best for you.
- Be creative! Engaging people isn’t easy and takes a flow of almost constant creativity to achieve; always be on the look out. What has worked for you as a consumer responding to a business’s posts? What have you seen that you could adapt to suit your audience?
Practical activities you can carry out now!
Post a poll – Ask your fans a relevant question on a topic of interest. For example, you could ask them who they think is going to win the big game, what their plans are for the weekend or anything that means they can express their opinions or get involved.
Post a picture – People respond to visual imagery far better than they respond to text alone, so you’ll find that engagement levels increase when you post pictures to your wall. Post a picture of your latest new product, your latest advert, a picture you think is cool or anything you think is relevant or that your fans will like.
Show some personality – Interacting with a faceless brand carries little incentive, if fans can relate to the human side of your brand however, they are more likely to interact with you. We all love a good laugh, an inspiring quote or breath-taking landscape from time to time; these kind of posts can work well, putting a smile on people’s faces is a great way to build relationships.
Get behind a good cause – If you are involved with any charities, local fundraising or perhaps sponsor a team then you can use your Facebook wall to spread awareness or raise funds and generally leaverage your community for a good cause – proving it’s not all about hard sell and profit is good every now and again.
Gain some insight – Ask your customers what they like most about your goods or services, ask them what they’d like to see more of, don’t be afraid to use them as a focus group. As with polls, people love making their opinions known, just make sure you monitor things closely. The last thing you want is to find your post to backfire and turn into customers sharing negative experiences (as was the case with McDonalds now legendary 2012 Twitter campaign, dubbed McFail when their hashtag was used to highlight negative customer experiences). Monitoring all activity remains key, allowing you to step in and respond in real time should the need arise. You also have the added benefit of having far more control over your Facebook wall too.
Give your fans credit – A simple thank-you can go a long way to making your community feel valued. Acknowledge the part they play and thank them for their support and participation. If you want to go one step further you could create a regular ‘super fan’ contest, or every now again hold a flash sale where you give your Facebook followers a special discount code.
Run a competition – Create a Facebook specific competition where you use your wall to tell people about a competition running on your website, or use a Facebook app to run a competition right there on your Facebook wall. By using an app, you can also make it a requirement that people share and/or like your competition in order to enter.
Create a Facebook-only promotion - You can publish a special voucher code on your Facebook wall, or better still, use a ‘fan gate’ app to incentivise none fans to ‘like’ your page to get access to the promotional code.
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