Pam Moore, one of the Top 10 Social Media Influencers, once said “You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them”.
These days most people are online, Facebook is no longer there just for teenagers to share photos of their night out. It is a multi purpose environment and caters for all sorts – whether it’s keeping in touch with friends, checking what your favourite brands are up to, or keeping informed with news and information from around the world.
Over the years, Facebook pages have steadily grown, and become an important feature of Facebook. Basically, the general idea is that if your business isn’t on Facebook, you’re missing out. It’s true that traditional marketing still works, however studies show that people spend on average 4 hours per day online (double that in the US), and each day there are 800 million status updates on Facebook. It’s clear then that harnessing the use of Facebook for your business will certainly increase your exposure, which can lead to a greater revenue.
So now that you’re on board with the idea, here’s our beginner’s guide to Facebook.
1. The planning stage
The first and most important thing is to carefully plan your Facebook page. Don’t create a page during a whirlwind of inspiration only to abandon it after a while because you’re not sure of what to do with it.
Before you get started you’ll need the following :
– A well-designed eye catching logo and cover photo which are the right dimensions.
– Brand guidelines with a clear outline of what will be posted, the tone used, and even the type of colours or images to include.
– Knowledge of your audience – what kind of posts would interest them? Work around your audience’s needs.
– A clear ‘about’ section and contact details
2. Own It.
Someone needs to be responsible for the page, this person will be accountable for what goes on and will be the go to person should anything happen. Having one person dedicated to the page means there will be less confusion and more consistency.
3. Build your following
You can now start building your following. Of course the first people to go to would be friends and family, encourage them to like the page as a show of support. You could consider an official launch in order to spread the word. Encourage colleagues to share the page, and also list it as their place of employment – bringing them in on the process will boost company morale!
4. Create Connections
Use your page to like other companies with similar aims. Just make sure you’re 
liking from your page and not from your personal profile.
To do this go to your newsfeed and click on the tiny arrow near the security options and select your page.
Liking other businesses through your post will improve your connections (as they might like you back) and will also keep your newsfeed up to date with what other businesses are up to.
5. Boost your page
You might consider investing some money into your Facebook page by boosting it. Facebook allows you to promote your page, targeting specific audiences and allowing the ad to run for a specific period of time.
However if you’re going to spend money, do it wisely. It’s best to consult someone who knows the ins and outs of Facebook and can direct you to the best kind of advertising strategy so that your investment will reap tangible rewards.
6. Quality over quantity
It’s useless having 10,000 likes on Facebook if your post engagement is low. Work towards having high engagement on posts since this builds your brand and builds your relationship with followers. It’s far better to communicate with a few who care, than to shout out to thousands and get hardly any response!
7. Humour is your best weapon!
People generally react more to things which make them laugh and put a smile on their face. Use witty and cheeky humour in your posts to give your content life and show your fun side! Just because it’s business it doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
8. Facebook is not a catalogue
We keep saying it but yet it still happens. Facebook shouldn’t be used to advertise products the way you’d advertise in a magazine. Be creative with posts about products or services and market yourself in a way that makes people warm to your brand.
9. No one likes a Drama Queen
Handle complaints properly. Remember to always be polite and courteous. Offer to call the person up to resolve the issue over the phone, and never delete someone’s comment!
Don’t forget about the Big Brother nature of Social Media. When commenting online there could be a hundred people following the thread, reading everyone’s replies, you wouldn’t want to make any negative impressions!
10. Post sensibly
Once you’ve figured out what kind of posts to put up, you can move on to planning out a schedule. Be consistent with your work, but be willing to learn from your audience and adapt to what they like. It’s great to have a brand identity, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow!
For more information about how you can make Facebook work for you, why not drop us a line?
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