Facebook is used by over 1 billion people worldwide, making it the ideal platform for your business.
But with so many users, how can you make your brand stand out from the crowds?
Read on for tips on how to boost your fan base and build your business…
- Cover Photo
Your cover photo is basically the billboard of your brand, therefore it should be representative of your business. Choose something professional, eye-catching and creative. Users should be able to tell instantly who you are, and what you have to offer.
- Profile Picture
Again, this should be professional and appropriate to your brand. Consider linking your profile picture to your cover photo for an effective marketing strategy. For example, if you make bespoke cushions, why not have a sofa as your cover picture and a cushion as your profile, designed to look as if it has been placed onto the sofa?
- Make your Statuses Worth Reading
Stay interesting and relevant. Overloading people’s newsfeeds is likely to get you unfollowed. A little bit of relevant information is far mouseful than truckloads of daily info-dumping.
- Share Interesting Articles and Facts
Keep your eye on the news, and share items that are unusual, attention grabbing or just plain fun. Think about articles that you would be interested in; don’t just share something for the sake of updating your page.
- Engage and Respond
Social media is an excellent way to communicate with people. When people comment on your page, respond. It’s only polite and helps to establish a rapport with your online customer base. It’s worth remembering that having 200 warm followers with an interest in your brand is far more worthwhile than having 2000 followers with little or no interest in your page. Quality definitely over-rides quantity when it comes to Facebook. Always follow your followers.
- Post Great Content
It sounds kind of obvious, but it really is an integral part of any social media campaign. Know your audience and deliver high-quality, relevant content to them on a regular basis. Make your content shareworthy for maximum exposure. When people share your links and posts, you are potentially reaching thousands of new customers.
- Staying Professional
Keep your pages clear, concise and accurate with up-to-date information about your product / service and contact details. Social media is not the place to vent an opinion, rant or rave when you’re seeking recognition as a reputable business.
- Blog!
If you have the time to write a decent blog, with great content you can pretty much guarantee to generate traffic to your Facebook page by placing a widget on your blog. Using a point of action such as a graphic or enhanced text will show people what you want them to do.
- Don’t Oversell
Social media is a fantastic way to communicate and engage with people. However, it’s not the place to give a hard sell. Use your page to advertise a few choice items or highlight glowing reviews from satisfied customers, but don’t turn people off by making your entire page a sales pitch.
- Run A Contest
Increase your brand attention by running a contest. People love prizes! Programs like Promotion Builder are available to help you. Check Facebook’s rules first.
- Manage Your Wall-Posting Preferences
It may be worth setting your page’s Posting Ability Tab to allow only page admin to post:
- Choose Edit Page from your Admin Panel
- Choose Edit Settings
- Edit the Posting Ability Tab to decide who can post on your page.
Effective admin will help you to maintain a professional page, and prevent keyboard warriors from posting obscene or offensive content onto your page.
- Add a Facebook Like Box To Your Website
If a user is already scouring your webpages, the chances are that they are interested in your brand. Give them the opportunity to read your Facebook page with a gentle push in the right direction.
- Advertising on Facebook
Facebook offers a variety of ads. Marketplace ads are generally the most affordable and therefore popular type of advertising. These include ads to external pages, sponsored stories and Facebook objects.
Running several combinations of ads can help you to decide which type will work best for you. You are able to use a number of ad formats in your campaign.
Know your competitors, and use this information to develop your unique selling points and make your brand stand out. What can your product offer that your competitor’s can’t? Exploit this and use it to your advantage to help develop your ads.
- Remember, Quality not Quantity
Stick to one Facebook page. It not only looks more professional and reputable, but saves you a whole lot of stress! The same goes for buying fans – just don’t. You need genuinely interested, engaged fans, not a load of fake followers with no intention of ever commenting on your posts or sharing your content.
- And Finally…
Write like a human, for humans! If you know your target audience (as you should) finding decent content, relevant to them should come naturally. Test yourself – check recent posts; do you really find them engaging? Have you posted anything shareworthy? Aim to enhance your page and entrance your audience with educational, entertaining or interesting content.
Organic growth is the key to success – so persevere and concentrate on attracting quality fans.