Facebook pages can be a great way to connect your audience. Facebook statistics tell us that the average user is currently connected to 60 pages, groups and events. This means that, aside from all the other Facebook friend activity that goes on, your page is one of the 60 trying to grab a fan’s attention.
But before you write your first post, there are several things you need to do. And if you’ve already written that first post, you should go back and reconsider some things. Jon Loomer outlines 29 steps for an effective Facebook page. Below are the first ten steps:
- Pick a name
- Pick a vanity URL
- Update your About section
- Optimize for search engines
- Design a strategy
- Create a content calendar
- Assign roles
- Tell your store with a Cover Photo
- Use an engaging Profile Photo
- Create tabs that dive company goals
Now that you have created your Facebook page, you now have to focus on becoming a prominent feature of the news feeds of your users. Know that the Facebook news feed is becoming an increasingly competitive marketing space, so you need to fight to be seen. Ignite Social Media gives 20 ways to increase your Facebook page visibility. Below are ten of them:
- Don’t post too often
- Post engaging content
- Use images and video
- Determine the best days and times to post
- Ask your community to change the setting to get notifications
- Promoted posts
- Request feedback
- Caption contest or fill in the blank
- Inspirational quotes and images
- Run competitions
Now that you know what should do on Facebook, perhaps it would be important to know what you should not do. When you created your Facebook page for your business you ticked a box saying you’ve read and agree to the terms and conditions. You might not have read them but ignorance is definitely not bliss. Marketing Gum posted these rules. Check out the rules for the Facebook Cover Photo.
For the Cover Photo, you cannot…
- Include your contact details – ie: no website address, no phone number, no email and so on.
- Include pricing or purchase information – ie: ’40% off…’ or ‘Get yours now at our website…” Reference any “user interface element” – i.e.: you can’t ask for, mention or even use a graphic to point to Like, Share or any other Face book feature.
- Include calls to action – i.e.: ‘Get yours now’ or ‘Tell your friends’.
- Use an image you do not own or have the rights to use, that is false, deceptive or misleading.
Growing a fan base on Facebook for your page requires work, but engaging your community on Facebook should pay you huge dividends.