2014 marks Facebook’s 10th year of existence, and in that decade so much has fundamentally changed about the world we live and work in. Originally a college-only private connection network, Facebook is now a sprawling platform with more than 1.3 billion active users and an average visit time of 30 minutes per user. It is, quite simply, too big to ignore for any business, regardless of size or industry.
Unfortunately, Facebook’s popularity led many businesses to quickly create a Facebook Page in the hopes that simply existing on the network will be fruitful. It rarely is. The companies and organizations that see the most return on their Facebook investment treat it as just that – an investment which is carefully planned, strategically executed, and measured.
Is your business not getting the return on its Facebook investment that you think it should? Here are five tips to help you reallocate your energies and start seeing better results:
1. Know what you want and who you want it from
This isn’t just referring to the people on Facebook you’d like to reach. Make sure you have a goal in mind for people on your website that could potentially come as a social media referral, and set yourself and your website up for that success. Once that plan and structure are in place, make sure everything you do on Facebook, whether it’s a link to a blog or a picture of a cat, ultimately contributes to that goal.
2. Give your audience what it wants
What do your Facebook fans want, you may ask? Value. Statistics show that people who follow a business on Facebook expect something in return – and they don’t necessarily want it in the form of quality content. In a recent survey, 42% of Facebook fans said that the reason they liked a page was to receive a coupon or discount of some sort. Consider offering exclusive offers to your Facebook audience, and making sure that you aren’t causing people to question why they follow you. Speaking of which…
3. Everything in moderation; Please enjoy responsibly.
Want to know a great way to annoy your followers and have them abandon your social efforts? Talking too much and being too spammy.
Imagine a person at a party who won’t shut up and talks only about himself or herself. Will you spend a lot of quality time listening to what that person says? If you said “no,” then put yourself in your audience’s shoes and ask yourself if what you’re talking about is worth following.
4. Ask questions
It’s a proven fact that people are more likely to comment on your post if you ask them a question. Not only does it encourage engagement, but there are always questions you have for your audience that they are more willing to answer than you may imagine. The more you ask, the more discussion you encourage.
5. Personality Matters
On Facebook, your posts filter in with the posts of individuals. The goal is to stand out and provide value, and that isn’t going to happen if your content doesn’t jump off the page. Resist the urge to turn your page into a link-spewing robot – it should be a reflection of your company culture and personality. Think of it this way: if your business was an actual individual person with an individual personality, what would that person’s Facebook account look like? Whatever that answer is, that’s what your Business Page should be.
All of these things take time, effort, and information. The biggest reason businesses have under-performing Facebook pages is because they don’t put in the time and effort, or don’t have enough information. By bringing in experts to help provide you with the information, you can use these above tips to help with reducing and streamlining your digital strategy and get the most bang for your Facebook buck.