Top Ten Tips for Effective Facebook Business Pages – Part 1

You’ve been persuaded by someone, or something, that increasing your online presence is a good idea, and that interacting with Social Media is a must – so you’ve gone ahead and sorted out your Facebook Business Page… now what to do with it??

We have compiled below the most useful advice to make your Facebook page work as effectively as possible for you – to get you ‘right into the action’ on Facebook and bring more customers to your business!  We’re going to assume you have gone through the process of developing a Social Media Strategy, and know what you actually want to get from your Facebook page (is it increased brand awareness? More traffic to your website or blog? More sign ups to your newsletter?)…..

If you have any tips you feel are sadly lacking here, please write them on our wall at www.facebook.com/silverlanemedia?sk=wall – and add your website link for some free publicity!

1. When you first set up your Page, make sure you are using a proper ‘business page’ and not a personal-profile-turned-business account. Aside from it limiting some activity for your business and not looking as professional, it is also against Facebook’s rules and regulations – and could lead to your account being terminated, without notice – and you losing all your ‘fans’ without recourse.  One of the main differences between a personal profile account and a business page, is that a page will get ‘Likes’, whereas a personal account develops ‘Friends’. Theoretically, there’s a (5000) limit to the number of ‘friends’ you can have on Facebook, but no limit to the number of ‘Likes’ you can receive. Even if you feel 5000 users is a little out of reach at present, why limit yourself for no good reason?!
   If you already have your business set up on a personal profile, all is not lost! You can quite simply transfer to a ‘page’ – and all your confirmed friends will be converted into people who ‘Like’ your new page. Visit the Facebook Help Centre at https://www.facebook.com/help/?page=18918 to go through the process for your own account.
2. Post regularly! Many businesses seem to think that simply having a page and posting advertising messages when they think of it, once or twice a month, is sufficient to start increasing their fans and bring in more custom. Consistency is key – both in terms of content delivered and regularity of posting! There is no definitive guide that tells you how often you should be posting on Facebook – but, in general, if you’re serious about making an impact, the minimum you post should be once a day.
3. Link to other people’s content! This doesn’t mean you need to send potential customers directly to your competition, but, when you find content that is likely of value to your target market, let them know about it! Make your page a resource that individuals will want to keep coming back to; not simply another online brochure full of advertising messages from your website. By providing valuable content to your audience, you build a reputation as an expert in your field; the one to turn to when your prospects need help – meaning more business for you!
4. Use questions and polls to get your fans to engage – and get them to ask their friends too! You can either ask for opinions about what services or products you’re looking to introduce, or simply ask a more general question related to your industry. When you have gathered a reasonable number of responses, publish the results with relevant comments and conclusions on your page – thanking everyone who contributed. Not only is this a method of free market research, it also helps build up a community around your business and brand.
5. Develop a ‘personality’ through your posts. Although it’s not good practice to post quite the same content as you would from a personal profile on a business page, avoid posting bland, corporate messages and advertising all the time; post a mixture of interesting information, facts and updates about your industry, and inject a sense of humour wherever possible!

Part 2 – and the second half of our Top Ten tips next week!

At Silver Lane Media we offer bespoke Business Growth and Social Media packages. Whether you are looking for assistance in setting up your first Facebook Page and Twitter account, looking to outsource your long-tem Social Media strategy, or if you just want some advice about how best to improve your online marketing efforts and social media involvement, we’d love to hear from you and would be happy to help.

For a no-obligation conversation about how we might be able to help you and your business, call us today 0n +44 (0)1229 88 5054 or +44(0)796 783 0538.