How to market your business on Facebook
The marketing potential offered by Facebook is undeniable, but it is important to understand what you need to deliver to capitalise on this potential. In general terms, your brand needs to be interesting, remarkable and value-adding, whilst making the most of the specific functionality offered by the network, if you really want to be noticed and stand out from the Facebook crowd.
Content
Every word or image you post is classed as content and the interaction between your content and Facebook users is important. This is why it is essential to see everything you post as a chance to increase engagement.
Do not be afraid to demonstrate your human side or add humour where appropriate and without deviating from the ethos of your brand. It is also important to recognise the importance of images on Facebook, as posts with photographs typically result in an average of 39 per cent more engagement.
Time your posts
Track when your Facebook followers are most active and post your content when it is likely to elicit the most response. Your users may typically check the network during their lunch breaks at work, school or college, or after dinner. Focusing on engaging users during these times should help you to broaden your community.
Moderating content
Consider your approach to inappropriate user-generated content on your wall or as comments. It is usually best to make your stance public to ensure that your community members understand the boundaries they must stay within and to offer users a feeling of safety when interacting with you on the network.
It is impossible to control everything that people say on Facebook, of course, but you may need to consider removing content if posts contain threatening language, sensitive information, offensive language, advertorial content, or would constitute harassment or abuse.
There are other occasions when it might be best to address comments rather than removing them. These include customer complaints, critical statements and negative commentary. Remaining professional and demonstrate a willingness to listen to feedback can be beneficial to your brand, even when the comments are far from positive.
Promote engagement
One of the best ways to encourage engagement is to communicate with your followers and appreciate their desire to interact and engage with your brand. One of the best ways of honouring their willingness to engage with you is to offer them the courtesy of a prompt and appropriate response.
Build a community
Your focus when utilising Facebook should be on building a community rather than on your conversion rates. Nurturing this community will boost engagement and the affinity that people have with your brand.
Consider user flow
In the same way that you direct users on your website, identify your Facebook goals and what you want people to do after they have arrived on your page. Ensure that they can access relevant information easily and offer an obvious and clear user flow.
Maintain credibility
Your Facebook presence and posts reflect your brand; therefore, it is essential that you maintain the credibility of your business by ensuring that posts you make or share are factually accurate and grammatically correct.