#1 – Know Your Purpose For Being On Facebook
It’s important to know why you’re on Facebook in the first place. Is it to reach new customers? Is it to provide customer service? Is it to share industry news? It may be a combination of these and other reasons. But it’s important to know what these reasons are – otherwise you won’t be able to determine whether you are succeeding or not.
#2 – Know The Rules For Your Header And Content
Facebook recently changed the rules for the kinds and amount of text content that can go on a Fan Page header. It’s important to play by the rules for a couple of reasons. For starters, it just looks bad for your business to flout the rules in such a public way. Many of your customers will likely know the rules, and it looks unprofessional if you’re not following them.
Also – Facebook is increasingly cracking down on businesses whose headers don’t conform to their terms of service. If your Facebook business page went away suddenly, what kind of message would that send to your customers and prospects?
#3 – Learn The Rules For Promotions And Contests
Did you know that asking people to enter a contest by liking, commenting, or sharing from your Facebook Fan Page is against the rules? And again – breaking the rules never looks good. There’s no telling when Facebook is going to come down on people who do, so just don’t do it. Facebook requires that all contests be run via a third party app, and you can’t even use Facebook to notify the winners.
#4 – Create Custom Tabs To Increase Engagement And Capture Leads
Those little boxes up at the top of your page are prime real estate for generating leads and engagement. If you have a free offer, for example, it’s a great way to give it away while collecting names for your e-mail list. AWeber, among others contact management companies, has a super easy app to help you integrate your mailing list into your Facebook page.
#5 – Post Relevant Content
This goes back to knowing your customer and knowing why you have a page. Post content that is likely to be relevant and of value to the people you serve in your business. This is the kind of content they’ll be most likely to engage with, not to mention share with their friends. Content that is shared increases your reach, making you more visible new prospects and customers.
#6 – Post Frequently
If you’re posting only once a day, it’s not enough. You need to be posting original content at least 4 times per day. Otherwise, Facebook’s algorithm that determines what content is shown in your followers’ news feeds will determine that you aren’t really relevant enough, and your fans just won’t see your content.
#7 – Use Facebook Ads To Increase Your Reach
If you don’t have the kind of traffic to your page you’d like yet, consider using a Facebook Ad to increase your visibility. They’re a surprisingly low-cost way to be seen by more people, and you can target your ideal customer with great precision, making this a very effective technique.
#8 – Talk With Your Fans
If you’re not engaging with the people who comment on your page, chances are they won’t hang out for long. No one likes to watch a monologue on social media, and if you’re just broadcasting how great you are, well, no one will believe it.
If someone leaves you a comment – good or bad – you’ve got to respond to it. If it’s criticism, you must respond transparently and politely. This is not the time to get into a virtual shouting match, with all the world to see.
#9 – Promote Your Page On Your Website (and at your physical business location if you have one)
This is an easy way to generate more buzz about your Fan Page – make sure you have a button to your Facebook page in a prominent location on your website. If your business has a physical presence, consider promoting your page to your customer with Fan-only specials posted on your page.
#10 – Promote Your Website On Your Fan page
The reverse form of promotion is true as well – promote your website on your Fan page in order to increase traffic back to your business. Really – all forms of online marketing should lead back to your website (and if you don’t have a website, we should talk).
