Lately I've had many people ask for my advice about their social marketing efforts on Facebook. As I browse these various business pages, I typically notice some trouble spots that they all seem to have in common. Then if I'm given the opportunity to have a peek at their Insights tab, I'm usually NOT surprised by the abysmal stats that are there. I've seen pages with almost 1500 "fans" but Zero engagement and minuscule reach. Those are terms that would be beneficial for you to understand by the way. In fact, that leads to our first big tip for being more effective with your Facebook business page:
1. LEARN how to read the Insights Tab of your page.
There's a lot of statistical information that can help you better understand your audience. And, it can sometimes seem overwhelming to try to sort through all of that data. But even if you don't learn to read ALL of the data, at least learn the basics of Reach and Engagement. Once you understand that Reach is the number of people that have been exposed to your page or your posts, and Engagement is the number of people who have intentionally interacted with your page, you can begin to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.
1. LEARN how to read the Insights Tab of your page.
There's a lot of statistical information that can help you better understand your audience. And, it can sometimes seem overwhelming to try to sort through all of that data. But even if you don't learn to read ALL of the data, at least learn the basics of Reach and Engagement. Once you understand that Reach is the number of people that have been exposed to your page or your posts, and Engagement is the number of people who have intentionally interacted with your page, you can begin to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.
2. HAVE FUN!
The Facebook platform is primarily a social platform. People really aren't there to look for new products or services. If there's one thing that I see business pages get wrong most often, it's that they over-post their products or services. I'm not saying you shouldn't put friendly reminders out there about what you have to offer. But, the Facebook Ads placement is better suited for that and will allow you to be very specific in reaching your potential customers. Be creative and start posting content that people will enjoy interacting with!
The Facebook platform is primarily a social platform. People really aren't there to look for new products or services. If there's one thing that I see business pages get wrong most often, it's that they over-post their products or services. I'm not saying you shouldn't put friendly reminders out there about what you have to offer. But, the Facebook Ads placement is better suited for that and will allow you to be very specific in reaching your potential customers. Be creative and start posting content that people will enjoy interacting with!
3. BE SOCIAL!
Don't forget to interact with your fans! If someone comments on one of your posts, be sure to like their comment and/or reply to it. If someone "shares" one of your posts, you need to make sure they know you appreciate it. As mentioned above, Facebook is a social platform, not a sales meeting. People are looking to participate in conversation, not pitches. Think of it as a virtual party. If someone at a party told you they liked the joke you told, or took you to a friend and said, "Hey, you should tell them that story", you wouldn't just ignore them. So, get proactive about following up with your fans on Facebook. It will make a big difference in the brand awareness and positive connection people have with your business page.
Having fans isn't enough. It doesn't guarantee that anyone will see your content. You have to post relevant content and engage with your fans if you want to truly benefit from social marketing.
Don't forget to interact with your fans! If someone comments on one of your posts, be sure to like their comment and/or reply to it. If someone "shares" one of your posts, you need to make sure they know you appreciate it. As mentioned above, Facebook is a social platform, not a sales meeting. People are looking to participate in conversation, not pitches. Think of it as a virtual party. If someone at a party told you they liked the joke you told, or took you to a friend and said, "Hey, you should tell them that story", you wouldn't just ignore them. So, get proactive about following up with your fans on Facebook. It will make a big difference in the brand awareness and positive connection people have with your business page.
Having fans isn't enough. It doesn't guarantee that anyone will see your content. You have to post relevant content and engage with your fans if you want to truly benefit from social marketing.
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