In today's hyper-connected world, if you don't have a Facebook Page for your business or brand, you may as well not exist. Not only is a Facebook Page important to your sites search engine optimization efforts, but you also need to have a connection with your customers on the platforms they're most comfortable communicating on. Almost every adult in the US and UK uses social media. If you look specifically at millennials, you'll find that almost all millennials use Facebook daily via smartphones, tablets and (don't tell the boss) work computers.
Here are ways to maximize your brand's Facebook presence.
1. Use an Attractive Banner and Profile Photo
Your Facebook Page represents your company. Don't make the photos and branding on your page an afterthought. Take time to select attractive images and use a profile photo that looks good in a smaller frame. Solid graphics build trust and brand recognition.
2. Announce Prizes and Raffles
Encourage your Facebook audience to engage with your site. Post to your Page with exciting news, and offer potential prizes if your audience shares your post with their friends. For maximum exposure, post a question to your audience. Then, you can raffle off a prize to one of the Facebook users that correctly answers your question by replying to your post with a comment. This gets your post and brand to pop up in the activity feed of every Facebook user that interacts with your post.
3. Post Regularly
Don't let more than a day or two go by between posts to your Page. Your audience is always looking for more information about sales, exciting company news and product information. The more content you post, the more opportunities you have to interact with your customers.
4. Post Informative Content
Your posts should be of value to your customers. You don't want to turn off customers by posting nonsense for the sake of posting. Take a look at this company's Facebook Page, they spend time explaining IVA's benefits, every post actually means something to their audience. They also have some great photos that accompany each post, which makes their content jump off the page.
5. Respond to Messages
If a customer reaches out to your Facebook Page via private message, respond quickly. If you can maintain a rapid response time, Facebook will add a badge to your Page that shows your attentiveness with an average response time of under 5 minutes.
6. Share Personal Stories
Celebrating a birthday in the office? Take the opportunity to highlight what makes your team members special in a "behind the scenes" blog post. Put a face behind the brand and let customers see that your company is more than just their favorite product.
7. Announce Milestones
When your company's Facebook Page reaches a milestone (1,000 likes, for example), make a post celebrating the achievement. Thank your customers for sharing your Page with their friends and family. Take the opportunity to offer a special "1,000 Likes discount" on one of your most popular products.
Being creative and engaging with customers on Facebook is the perfect way to outdo the competition and grow your company's reach.