How business owners can start a Facebook page presence

Chances are you’ve been on Facebook for years as a “profile.” You keep track of your kids, friends, kids’ friends, and you get it. Facebook is awesome for connecting. Then you try it for your business and things don’t go so smoothly. Maybe you have only 50 fans and you’ve been beating your head on a wall to figure out what it is you’re doing wrong, if anything. Pages can be the bane to your existence, but it doesn’t have to be. Many things can be implemented when starting your Facebook business page or if your page had been in a lag. The first thing you need: A plan. Many companies randomly post to their pages until they get bored and then leave the page to suffer like a ghost town. You must develop a clear Facebook marketing strategy to even have a chance of success. You can find clients and customers on Facebook — many businesses do. Why not you? After all, your customers are spending time on Facebook. You need to be there. Facebook shouldn’t be the only form of your company’s marketing; it should integrate with all of your other marketing. So, what can you do? The following tips with help you get started from scratch, whether you’re new to pages or are in desperate need of a revamp. Why Do You Have a Facebook Page? Seems like the “no duh” question, but really, why are you starting a Facebook page? Just because everyone else is doing it is not a good reason. You understand all the other aspects of your marketing and Facebook is no different. You must define your marketing goals and develop a corresponding strategy. Your Facebook page can be used for many things (customer service, news source, sales source), so it’s very important to align this with your strategy. Post More Than Once a Decade: When your Facebook page is shiny and new, you take care of it. You post on it regularly and you’re excited. Then, after the first week or so, you ignore your page. One day at first, then a week and before you know it, it’s been months since your last post. If you ignore your page, you send a message to your audience that you don’t care about them. This is why it’s super important to understand why you created your page to begin with. Use Facebook Ads: The allure of Facebook is that it is presumably free. But just as you might buy an ad in a newspaper or on a website to give your company a boost, it’s also important to consider this on Facebook. Facebook ads are awesome because you can choose your budget (whether it’s $5 or $50 per day), specify your age group, gender and location. And you can specify the interests of those you’d like to target. Be Social: Social media is about being SOCIAL. If you’re only attempting to sell your products or services, you won’t get far. If a customer calls your office, you answer their questions. Do that same thing on your page. If someone takes the time to comment on your Page, be courteous and answer him or her. It might help to think of Facebook like email. When you get inquiries through your email, you answer them. Facebook is no different. Use It as a Content Platform: Pages are a great way to promote your website’s content, so long as you don’t overdo it. Think of it like a publishing platform. If you write a blog post, use it as a page update. Not everyone will go to your blog everyday. Publishing in multiple places will help drive traffic back to your website. Make Your Content Shareable: Your customers love you because you offer them something they value. Think about whom they might share that with. Facebook has become the new “word of mouth” in way as users are constantly like pages, which, if they like your page or share your content, is an endorsement of your awesomeness. Think about how you can help your customers outside of the scope of your own products or services. If you go above and beyond, you’ll have fans for life. This might seem like a lot to think about, but it’s essential if you want to build a Facebook presence for your business or brand. If you’re overwhelmed, start working with Facebook for an hour per week, and, soon enough, you’ll be on your way to greatness. Readers: What other tips do you have for getting started on Facebook? Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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How business owners can start a Facebook page presence

Sonja Hegman

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Sonja Hegman