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10 Keys to Getting the Most from Your Facebook Page

Facebook may be a daunting concept for many businesses looking to venture into social media marketing, but in complete honesty it is virtually mandatory these days.  Everyone from your eleven-year-old niece, your lawyer, all the way to your grandma has a Facebook account these days! A business presence is more important than ever, but simply having a profile isn’t enough.  Here are the top 10 tips to best utilize your Facebook business page.

1. Build Consumer Confidence

Posting consistently on your Facebook page shows your company is staying involved in the community.  Businesses are able to demonstrate their relevance while staying involved with their customer base. Plus, it’s a great way to advertise and be flashy about your knowledge and image!

2. Keep it Short and Sweet

No one wants to read a 600-word article posted on his or her Facebook feed.  Keep your posts to the point.  Topic headlines are vital in catching the attention of your fans as you’re competing with a constant feed of moving information. A good rule of thumb is to keep your posts below 250 characters. Research shows that posts below this number receive 60% more likes than those longer than 250 characters.

3. Give Fans Exclusive Information

Who doesn’t like insider information? Reward your fans with information they can’t find anywhere else or feed late-breaking information.  Everyone likes to be up-to-date on the latest and greatest, and for those actually on Facebook, knowing the information you’ve relayed concisely will have them mentally thanking you for their savvy.

4. Ask for Opinions

This may be a bit scary, but ask fans or past clients for their opinions on your company, service or products.  Luckily, Facebook offers you the ability to regulate and closely monitor posts made on Facebook by these outside users.  There is the ability to block key words as well as send an alert to administrators for each posting. On a more positive note, if you have fans, they likely only have nice things to say about what you’ve got to offer!

5. Emphasize Locality

Setting your local, small business apart from the big chains is always a great thing.  Your Facebook page helps show off your benefit of being small and local by posting information relating to your own community.  You may even want to start a sort of customer appreciation acknowledgment system to thank your best customers publicly for their patronage.

6. Offer Fans Special Deals

This is a great way to reward your fans with their appreciation of your business.  This is also a fantastic way to boost slow days by offering a reduced price on a product for those slow Monday afternoons.  Your Facebook fans can’t help but notice your creative marketing techniques and special offers just for them. These types of things also lead fans to share your update with friends who may not be fans, yet.

7. Ask for Feedback

Facebook can become a great resource for building strength where you previously had a weakness.  Customers may not feel comfortable critiquing or complimenting your service in person, but the veil of Facebook-courage can make space for some really helpful growth.

8. Post Photos and Videos

Pictures and videos always draw in fans.  Seeing a mouthwatering burger will draw many more customers in than attempting to describe the burger to fans.  This feature also allows you to post informational videos as well as show them what sets your business above the others.

9. Stay Current

Posting to Facebook couldn’t be simpler once you get the hang of it.  Making a post about the arrival of the much-anticipated product or the late breaking story, or about a huge sale can be done in a matter of seconds, from your smart phone even! Staying current shows customers that you care about them.

10. Engage your Fans

Frequently, companies become so good at being companies that they are dehumanized and lose that personal touch.  Facebook can keep your business in touch with your customer’s wants, needs, likes and dislikes.  It goes both ways as well.  With Facebook, you are able to build a personality for your brand with an actual voice for your company or products.

Facebook has the power to personalize your company and draw in a client base that may actually have developed an emotional attachment to your brand.  Even if you don’t live in a small town like that of 1950’s Mayberry, you are able to build a close-knit community via a powerful internet website. It’s time to get started!

Matthew Toren
 

Matthew Toren is a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com. He is co-author, with his brother Adam, of Kidpreneurs.org, BizWarriors.com and Small Business, BIG Vision: Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right (Wiley).

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