Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and all the other social media platforms are great, but Facebook remains the most popular. With that being said, learning how to use Facebook for business is one of the easiest ways to build a brand from the ground up.
Facebook for Business
Creating a Page
Creating a Facebook page is a bit deceptive. The step-by-step instructions you’re prompted to follow seem remarkably easy, but a perfect page requires a bit of thought and effort.
The “About” section should be crafted to effectively tell your brand’s story in the allotted space. You only get 155 characters in the “Short Description” section, so use it wisely. You will also need to accurately provide contact information. Your profile picture should identify your business, so using your logo or some variation of it is always a wise choice.
Gaining Likes
Building up a solid Facebook fan base is tough when you’re first starting out. Organic methods for cultivating an audience include:
- Asking friends and family to like and share your page.
- Placing a link to your page within your emails and on your blog and website.
- Interacting with other people and pages.
- Running a contest.
Alternatively, if you’re willing to spend a small sum of money, you can create a Facebook page likes ad campaign. This will allow you to develop an advertisement that appears within the newsfeeds of your target audience and gently urge them to like you page without being intrusive.
Building Brand Recognition and Awareness
Social media is one of the best places for you to show off the extensive knowledge you’ve gained in your industry. By doing so, especially in the form of sharing links to your own blog posts, you begin establishing yourself as a trusted source. And people want to buy from businesses they trust.
Facebook also provides a somewhat laid-back, informal environment to show off your brand’s personality. While consumers want the businesses they patronize to be knowledgeable, they also expect fun and entertaining posts when checking their social media accounts. Your goal is a combination of the two.
Sharing anything that humanizes your brand, whether it’s a funny meme or a photo of your team at a company outing to a baseball game, adds value and makes using Facebook for business worthwhile.
Boosting Your Posts
Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm prioritizes people and pages that users regularly interact with. However, if you’re new to using Facebook for business, you probably haven’t had a ton of interaction yet. That means your posts will fall to the dark depths of people’s newsfeeds and remain un-liked, unshared and un-commented upon.
You can take advantage of this feature by boosting your posts to spur engagement. To boost a post means to back it with money so that it ranks higher within users’ feeds. By spending just a small sum of cash on select posts, you can target them precisely to your ideal audience and begin seeing the interaction you deserve.
Product Placement
Sales are what keeps your business afloat financially, so why not use Facebook to try and increase sales? However, it’s true that in-your-face product promotions are often unsuccessful. As mentioned above, people check social media to interact with others and be entertained.
But posting an attractive picture of your products might draw some traffic to your business. For example, if you were using Facebook for a restaurant, consider a mouthwatering photo of a cheeseburger posted around lunchtime. You don’t even have to say “come in for lunch.” The photo alone puts the idea in people’s heads, without being overly salesy.
It may take a bit of time to gain momentum when using Facebook for business. If you’re struggling, experiment with new post ideas and have fun. Chances are, if your posts entertain you, they’ll amuse your audience as well!
