Getting the right start with your Facebook Page

Put bluntly, if your do not get the right start you may not reach the desired destination. Facebook has evolved into an essential communication and marketing tool for companies and other institutions. As the world’s biggest social network, it gives you the opportunity to reach and connect with both your current and potential customers. The connection which you build between you and the market on Facebook is driven by quality content, which is something we know all about here at Express Media.

However, there are some basics that all page owners should be aware of if they are to have an effective Facebook page. If your business is new to Facebook or struggling to have an impact, these are the things that we always advise clients to take care of before we start developing content for them.

1. Make sure your page has complete information

It might seem obvious, but so many businesses forget to add and upload the required information to every part of their company Facebook page. This seriously affects user experience and ultimately performance of your page. The must provide information you should complete for your page includes a well-cropped profile picture at the correct sizing, an engaging cover image and a clear description of what your company does.

2. Update your Facebook URL

When you create your Facebook page, it will automatically get a unique identifier in its URL. They look like this and are pretty ugly and impossible to remember: facebook.com/YourPageName-123456789. You can solve that problem by changing your URL to something that’s better for your business, ideally your company name. If you need more information you can read our earlier post How to create a Facebook page.

3. Add a call to action button

It’s okay getting people to read and view your content, but what do you want them to do next? It is easy and wrong to assume that people know what to do after they get information on your page. However, in reality it is up to you to guide them what action to take. Most of the time, you will likely want to send people to your website or even to a specific product. Thankfully, Facebook allows you to add a simple call to action button to your page. Make sure you don’t forget to make use of that feature.

4. Publish consistently

When resources are tight, finding time to publish content on Facebook can be tough. However, consistently is the key to success. Your posts are more likely to reach the right people if you publish content 3–5 times a week, rather than three updates in one day and then nothing for a month. You need to adopt a timetable for publishing and make sure you do not renege. Incidentally this applies to all social media not just Facebook. Publishing is not a luxury or something to do whenever you have free time. It should be part of your routine and very well-planned.

5. Make it multimedia

Text-based posts are great, cheap and perfectly appropriate in some circumstances. But data shows that people engage best with images and videos. Your customers want a visual experience so your content needs to offer a range of multimedia. Make sure you factor that into any content you produce. Explore the various free online resources for producing images and videos for your social media campaigns. In most cases your images will come in lower definition or with a small watermark. It surely is better than having plain text posts all the time so make use of such resources.

6. Use subtitles on videos

Video content is very popular on Facebook nowadays. More and more brands are utilising video as a way to engage with customers online. Independent studies have established that up to 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. It is easy to explain why that is so? Sometimes one is in an office, bus or other environment where they can’t play sound. Just remember your audience may not always be able to listen to your audio. That means any video content that you create must have subtitles.

7. Read the terms and conditions

You may have scrolled through your Facebook timeline and seen like and share-based competitions. Did you know that these are actually in violation of  Facebook’s guidelines? It’s important that you understand exactly what you can and can’t do on your business Facebook page – there are consequences! You do not want to be blocked from Facebook in the middle of a campaign. This happens, you can be blocked from sharing to groups or blocked outright. You do not want to get suspended or penalised from Facebook if it is central to your marketing. Observes the terms and conditions.

8. Post on Fridays!

According to research carried out by Adobe, people are more likely to engage with Facebook content on Fridays than on other weekdays. On Fridays, people are generally in a good mood and looking forward to the weekend, so it’s no surprise, but handy to know all the same. In general, it is a good idea to build content around when your customers are most active on Facebook. You are less likely to get meaningful engagement when you post at times when your customers are not active. When you post your content, it is not a bad idea of keeping a record of the reactions you get and how often you get them as well as how long it takes to get them after posting. That can help you to know when and when not to post.

9. Check your analytics

For each Facebook page, there’s an analytics dashboard. The analytics board contains a lot of useful information which can help you shape your strategy. You can learn useful information about your page followers, including their ages, where they are from and what times they are online. You can use this data to tailor the type of content you create and when you publish it to your Facebook page.

10. Talk to customers

Remember that social media is a two-way conversation. Your customers are able to comment on the content you publish and contact you directly through Facebook’s messaging system. They will expect you to respond. Be clear about whose job that is in your company and make sure they are equipped to deal with questions. It is important to see messages early and respond to them as this builds trust with your clients. If you assign someone to attend to the messages make sure they are knowledgeable about the business and its products/services and also about messaging etiquette.

Need some assistance?

There is a lot of knowledge you need to muster when it comes to managing an engaging Facebook page or Facebook campaign. The great news is that Express Media web Hosting has been assisting clients to do just that for many years now and we are always happy to assist. If you have any queries about our services or an exciting challenge you would like our expertise to handle just get in touch.