11 Tips for Making Facebook Your Business’ BFF

You know what’s startling? The endless supply of companies that EPIC FAIL in the Facebook realm.  Soooo many companies grasp that they should be on Facebook. They get that this whole “Social Media” thing can positively impact their business.

The problem is that many businesses opt to have the CTO’s 12-year-old create an account and throw in some cheesy stock image style artwork.  They then proceed to spam the account and miss opportunities left and right.

Luckily there’s hope for even the worst offenders. Optimizing your Facebook presence is not rocket science. There are a few simple strategies you can follow to “magically” improve your standing.

Here’s a list of 11 simple suggestions every business on Facebook can and should use:

1. Don’t be too salesy.  The number of businesses that think Facebook is a pure sales driver is appalling. Facebook is still a place for conversations.  Informally teach your Likers about your company and your products. That way when it becomes time for them to make the purchase they will remember you.

It’s ok to offer buyer incentives at the right times. Offering a special Facebook-only discount, or free shipping, or a pre-purchase window for new products can directly lead to new customers and sales. Just remember to do this infrequently. Offering a 1-2 week sale bi-monthly, or even quarterly, is a safe starting point.

2. Post original content. Don’t just regurgitate what you hear or read elsewhere. Use Facebook to interact with your Likers and tell them about cool new product innovations. Teach them about your production process. Introduce them to the human side of your business by displaying photos of your employees at a charity event.  Likers want to see new and interesting content when you make updates – not something they’ve already seen 83 other places.

3. Post Regularly. If you let your Facebook page sit dormant your company will slip out of mind for existing Likers. Worse, new Likers won’t be attracted to your page. You must post new content regularly.

But how often is “regularly?” After all, Facebook is not like Twitter where you find people posting about an A-hole driving too fast on the freeway. Remember, the last thing you want to do is annoy your beloved Likers with all-to-frequent updates.  As a business regular posting in Facebook entails 1 – 2 times per day, maximum.

4. Fill out your profile and use custom tabs. Most companies understand enough to fill in the standard Wall, Info, etc. tabs. If you haven’t filled these out in their entirety, please do so right after finishing reading this article.

However, many businesses neglect custom tabs. One of the cheeky components of business profiles is that you can create custom tabs. These can be used to create everything from FAQ’s to cool landing pages offering special Facebook-only incentives. Don’t limit your business to the bare essentials of Facebook.

5. Use Images.  Why do businesses avoid the Photos area like it’s diseased? As I alluded to in the “Post original content” segment, images can show the fun and human side of your company. Show your Likers the office prank you pulled, or the facial hair competition you held.  Give them a glimpse of a new prototype you’re working on.  Show them how your employees use your products. All of these images enforce the human element of your company and strengthen the bond your customers have to your products.

6. Do NOT ignore Liker comments. If a Liker comments with a question, critique, or even praise write back immediately. Doing so will clearly express your interest in what your customers have to say. If that person is irate make sure and convey your concern in your reply and, if feasible, call the troubled customer. That will show your customer that you won’t stand for their displeasure and that you too want to find a nice resolution.

7. Check political and religious views at the door. This should be obvious, right? Your 100,000 customers come from a plethora of backgrounds and mindsets. Please respect them accordingly. The one exception is if your company is in the political field, or is openly known to be religiously affiliated. Otherwise politics and religion should be avoided entirely.

8. Don’t forget cross-browser testing. Cross-browser issues are such a hassle. Even to this day most internet users prefer Internet Explorer. Sure it has 343,332 issues, but it also doesn’t need to be downloaded like Firefox or Chrome. Hence, 55 year old users like my mom love it!

The point is, don’t forget to test in IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome at bare minimum.  If you push a new lander live, chances are there will be an issue in one of these browsers, even if it looks flawless in all of the others.

9. Use company colors and themes. This is especially true if your colors and style are very well known to customers. If a visitor hits your Facebook page expecting to see a specific logo or color and gets something else that visitor will probably bounce, thinking it’s the wrong place. Be creative with image and experience, but don’t change your company’s identity just because you want to be fresh and unique on Facebook.

10. Advertise. Facebook advertising is dirt cheap, and you pay based on clicks, not impressions. You can build the number of Likers you have by creating ads that offer free shipping, a free product preview, or a nice discount to new Likers. Just make sure you have a worth-while incentive. If you don’t the ads will be soundly ignored, no matter what they promise.

11. Check spelling and grammar. It’s amazing that I even need to mention it, but I’ve seen spelling and grammar issues over and over again on Facebook. Please check your work! Using abbreviations like “Nice ta see U” on your personal page works. NEVER do that on your company’s page.  End of story.

So that’s it for my tidy list of recommendations for your business’ Facebook presence. At Portent, Inc. we have an abundance of cool Facebook tricks and ideas up our sleeves, so if you need Facebook marketing help please don’t hesitate to contact us.