Facebook for business: 10 Tips for a winning Facebook page

We have heard the big buzz about Facebook being an excellent channel to promote your business and build your brand image; there is no doubt about that.

Facebook is indisputably a great platform for anyone (from start-up businesses to long established ones) to market and reinforce their brand, gain new customers, as well as the loyalty of existing ones. Because of this, almost every business out there has a Facebook page nowadays; unfortunately, not everyone knows how to make the most out of it. This article will discuss 10 tips to follow to create and manage an effective business Facebook page.

§  Page Appearance

First impressions count tremendously.  Making your page look good is a priority when trying to attract visitors. Making a page attractive does not necessarily mean that it must contain flashy images and unreadable fancy fonts; keeping the Facebook page simple but captivating will work better than most think.

The first step is to have a clear cover page that is coherent to the business; this is because anyone can see the cover page, and it is the first thing that a visitor sees when entering the page. Therefore, it is very important that people can get a basic understanding of the brand immediately by looking at the cover page.

The second step is to set up an adequate profile picture. One should always keep in mind that this is the picture that will represent the business all over Facebook; hence, it must be picked carefully. Ideally it should be a picture that is easily recognisable (a logo, a graphic image, the brand name) so that people will recall it easily.

One can also creatively integrate the cover photo and the profile picture. This task can be somewhat challenging since the measurements must be done correctly. However, it will surely make the page look more appealing.

§   An informative ‘About’ section

Another extremely important feature of the Facebook page is the ‘About’ section which is displayed right underneath the profile picture. This section is the first place visitors will look at to get a basic knowledge of the business. Therefore, it must be clear, descriptive, yet to the point. The tone and style in which the ‘About’ section is written will also have an impact on the first impression that visitors will have of the business, and it must be chosen carefully. It is always best to fill out all of the fields in the ‘About’ section, and incorporate a website which redirects the visitors to the business’ main website.

One should also keep in mind that the format of the ‘About’ section will change depending on the category under which the page is created; for example, if it is created under ‘Local Business’ the ‘About’ section will include information such as business hours and address. However, if the business does not have a physical office, the page can be created under the ‘Brand or Company’ category.

§  Complete the app thumbnails

The apps that are used in the page will be shown in thumbnails underneath the profile picture. These thumbnails can be organised in such a way to enhance the features that one wants to highlight. The thumbnails should not be left empty as is they give an overall incomplete look to the page. A complete app section with relevant content not only will make it easier for your followers to find the content on the page, but also provide even more value.

§  Have a posting schedule

Knowing the target audience plays a huge role in planning this section. It is important to know when they are more likely to be online so that the posting schedule can be organised accordingly. In order to gain visibility and likes, the posts should be displayed on the top section of the news feed page; therefore, the posting should be done frequently.

People do not have the time nor the patience to read through long posts, they do not like to see them on the news feed and they will most likely find them annoying; therefore they should be kept short, simple, and include relevant photos and videos. Whichever posting strategy used should be kept constant to ensure the success of the page on the long run.

§  Always reply to comments

The beauty of platforms such as Facebook is that they allow the business to interact and create relationships with its audience. This is an opportunity that should be exploited to the maximum. Showing customers that their opinions count, are listened to and are replied to will take the business a long way.

One should try to always, always reply to all the queries and comments visitors post, this can certainly be a lengthy process especially when the page has an increased number of followers; however it will reinforce a positive brand image and customers will tend to trust the brand more.

§  Link the business’ website as much as possible

Having a Facebook page is an ideal way to redirect traffic to the business’ main website. When posting, one should always try to link the website, perhaps redirecting visitors to different sections of the page depending on the post.  Profile pictures and cover photo descriptions should also display the website.

§  Being social is the whole point of social media

It is certainly true that the business’ Facebook page must be informative and look appealing to get ‘likes’. However, another way to gain visibility is to be interactive outside of the business’ page. One should often visit other related pages, share relevant content, click likes, and leave comments. Ideally, this should be done regularly in order for the page to gain exposure, create connections and gain credibility.

§  Create Value for the followers

Some people make the huge mistake of using Facebook only to push their product and services on to their target market when using this platform to promote a business. If followers see too many posts from the page which they have no interest in, they have the option of hiding those from their news feed. Therefore, it is important to create value for them and ensure to share content that is relevant to them.

In order to create value, one should follow the 80/20 rule. Ideally, 80% of content published should be relevant to the business and create value for the followers, which could be educational, entertaining or simply humorous. The remaining 20% of the content can be promotional material. However, it would be ideal if one could also provide discounts and special promotions to provide value through this content as well.

§  Keeping it simple

One should always remember that Facebook is an informal platform that people use mostly to stay in touch with friends and for entertainment. When having a business Facebook page, one should not keep an overly formal tone and be overly serious; this is an excellent opportunity to get close to the customers, become their friend and gain customer loyalty. According to the target audience, one can decide on the tone and the style to be used to easily relate to followers.

§  Cross promote the page

Once the Facebook page is up and running, one should begin to cross promote it and redirect as much traffic to it as possible. This can be done through promoting the page on all other business material such as visiting cards, websites, marketing material, other social media platforms, newsletters, and events.

Following these ten tips when managing the business Facebook page will certainly put one ahead of the competition. However, it should not be forgotten that when it comes to social media the key is to constantly reinvent oneself. We at BQu can help you create and manage a cutting edge Facebook page. See our offer for Facebook page management.

Created: November 13th, 2014