Before you jump into Facebook with both feet, consider your methodology. If you don’t have one, get one. Many businesses start a page, then never post. Others post so irregularly that their fans don’t even know they are there. Then, there are those who post like maniacs and don’t understand why it’s not making them money. While posting is quite simple, effective “Facebooking” requires a systematic approach to truly benefit to your business. Just ask anyone who has gone before you!
Here are six things that you need to be aware of as you start or continue your social journey:
- It’s social, not promotional.
Research shows that one of the best ways to build loyalty is through two-way relationships. Before social media, a suggestion box on the wall was about as good as customer feedback got. Today, it is incredibly powerful to be able to communicate with customers in real time, in a public forum. They know that they’ve been heard, and you get the priceless tool of knowing what your target audience wants. If you use it simply to push products or services, it won’t work. - Not all fans will see your posts.
The goal is to maximize engagement; but, you can’t get engagement if no one sees your posts. Just like the search engines, Facebook uses an algorithm to determine who will see each one. Promoting a post is an effective method; otherwise, there are general posting guidelines that can help you reach your intended audience. While timing is important to catch the greatest number of fans on Facebook when you post, the content is equally as important. - It’s a valuable SEO tool.
To be effective, there must be a symbiotic relationship between the various segments of your marketing efforts. Your business card points to your website, which points to your social media, which points to your website, which has a newsletter signup, which contains links to your blog, which is shareable on social media, and round and round. The search engines are designed to pick up on these relationships as well as the external ones. So, in short, having a Facebook page will help you get found on Google. - Negative comments are an opportunity.
It’s naïve to think that every comment on your page will be glowing. Occasionally there may be a misunderstanding or a true error that needs to be addressed. It is a bad idea to delete these posts, as that will only add fuel to the fire. On Facebook, you are positioned to respond professionally and diffuse the situation right then and there. Your public audience will see you rise above and take note of how the issue was handled. It’s a great time to shine, so take a moment to construct a composed response. - Several activities could get you banned.
Certain things, like posting obscene materials, are obvious behaviors to avoid on Facebook. Not only could they get you banned, but they wouldn’t be the best thing for your professional image. Not so obvious are things like contests that are run improperly. If you don’t use a contest app, announcing it through a post instead, Facebook won’t like it. Also, you don’t want to abuse your promotional powers. A displeased audience will be heard and responded to either through posts by the Facebook police. - It’s not for everyone.
Not all businesses have a naturally social element, and getting a payoff for the time invested can be difficult for some. Even those perfectly suited for a social forum will fail if not given the time and attention need to post regular engaging content. If you can’t do it well, it is better not to be there at all because a negative impression is worse than none at all.
The complexities of social media are not unlike that of SEO. If you need help with determining if it is right for your business, we’d be glad to advise you.
