Before we begin, here’s a few facts about Facebook for business to get you in the know.
- 75% of brands promote their Facebook posts
- 5 million businesses spend money on Facebook ads
- In 2014, businesses paid 122% more per ad unit on Facebook than in 2013
- The most common reason for a Facebook user to unlike a brand is if they share uninteresting posts
- The second most common reason for a Facebook user to unlike a brand is if they share too many posts
Facebook company pages can:
- Build your follower base
- Increase visibility
- Improve branding
- Help you communicate and engage with customers
Improve your brand page with the following 13 tips:
- Add a recognisable profile picture
This is something of yours that everybody will see of you most frequently, as well as your name. It needs to be easy for potential fans to recognise, such as your company logo. Facebook requires a 180×180 pixel profile image.
- Pick an attractive cover photo
Select a large, high quality photo that won’t appear grainy or stretched out. When choosing your cover photo, don’t forget to consider that your profile picture does cover some of the image.
- Optimise photo descriptions
In the descriptions for your cover and profile pictures, add links to your website or a specific blog post. Links offer a great opportunity for people to get to know your brand better, plus it’s a simple way of driving people to your site.
- Fill out your About section
Click on the About tab to edit it, and provide a brief yet descriptive copy about your company and what your Facebook page offers.
- Add a call-to-action button
Facebook now offer seven pre-made button options:
- Sign Up
- Show Now
- Contact Us
- Book Now
- Use App
- Watch Video
- Play Game
Page admins can link one of the buttons to a destination on or off Facebook that aligns with a businesses’ goals. The button appears at the top of a business page, to the left of the Like button.
To see the button performance, click the Create Call-to-Action button located on the cover photo, then click the drop down arrow on your button and select View Insights.
- Populate milestones
Add noteworthy company milestones to the Milestone section of your About tab. These could include the day your company was founded, product launches, events, etc. To add milestones, click on Timeline and then Offer/Event.
- Add relevant apps
Customise your page with buttons that lead to brand-specific apps. Visit the Facebook App Centre and search for apps you would like to add to your page directly below your cover photo. Select Add App to page, then rearrange apps in which ever order you’d like – Facebook automatically shows the Timeline and About tabs first.
- Post visual content
Photos and videos are a great opportunity to promote an upcoming event, a product release, or company news. Just try to keep videos short (under 2 minutes!).
- Offer variety
Avoid using every update to promote your products and services – people will get bored!
One common guideline is the 70-20-10 rule:
- 70% of posts come from your brand and add value to your community. Examples include relevant business tips, recent events, local news, and survey questions.
- 20% of posts consist of content from others. Examples include promoting other business’ events or sales, tagging other businesses, and clicking “share” on a post from another company.
- 10% of posts are promotional. Examples include discount codes, sales, and introductions to new products or services.
- Pin important posts to the top of your page
If you want to keep a particular post at the top of your page for an extended period of time, even after you publish new posts, use the pin feature. Click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner of the post you want to pin, then click Pin to Top. Only one post can be pinned at a time.
- Tap into Facebook’s publishing and targeting tools
Schedule posts with tools directly from Facebook. Scheduling allows companies to keep content varies and space out when posts publish. Click on the Publishing Tools tab to schedule posts and to set expiration dates for time-sensitive posts such as limited-time offers or upcoming events.
- Gauge engagement
Click People Reached on the bottom left of a status update, then you will see additional metrics beyond likes and shares.
- Stay on top of comments
Interact with your Facebook fans on a regular basis. Not only should you monitor comments directed towards your brand, but also create conversations between other Facebook users on your page.
Facebook company pages can improve branding and exposure, and help you share fun and important updates with current and potential followers.
