11/03/2015

Facebook 101

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 5 years, you’ve probably heard of Facebook. So you’ve heard of it, but are you using it to it’s full potential? Have you been giving it enough time?

Facebook for business is a crucial asset for you company in our Social Media mad world. Search out a big brand and you’ll find a corresponding business page – but why?

Well firstly, it’s FREE. So why wouldn’t you? There are over 25 million active Facebook business pages. Are you one of them? Do your clients – your potential clients – form part of that number? They’re sitting ducks… and waiting for you to join the club.

Still not convinced?

Facebook is fast becoming a standard. Not having a Facebook page raises eyebrows -most people like to see a presence on the social platforms they use daily. Plus – why wouldn’t you want to be reminding your customers about you and your products by simple posting a picture, or status?

So how do you do it, and do it well?

Make sure your profile picture is up to scratch. Your profile and cover pictures should be clear and identifiable.

Not out of focus and unrelated.Your profile picture is an essential part of the first impression (sometimes the only one) that people get of your business.

How many times have you gone to somebody’s Facebook page only to see the Facebook silhouette or a low-quality image in their profile picture? What does that tell you about that business? A lot, actually. Your profile picture is a key part of your online branding - so get it right!

Contact details need to be correct and up to date. Remember – this might be the first point of contact a potential customer has had with your business. It’s good to have all your information in one place. Facebook gives you the option to add as much as you like to your ‘About’ section. Including not only essential contact information, but also opening hours and price range. Fill as much in as you can – and make sure it’s correct! How frustrating to miss out on a sale because your website link doesn’t work, or a digit is wrong on your phone number.

Content needs to be current, a dormant profile is as bad as not having one.

What impression does a profile give if the last post was in 2009? You’d probably wonder if they’re still trading.

Keep on top of your updates. There is always something to talk about. But remember – this is the face of your business, and sometime the only face a potential customer will see, so keep it clean.

Interaction. This is priority. If people are posting on your page or commenting on your posts then interact with them, it makes them feel special and prioritised – just how we want our valuable customers to feel.

We’ve seen social media car crashes in the past, and the frustrating thing is, they could be avoided if only the page owners had the sense – and time – to reply to comments.

Good or bad – reply to your customers. Potentially catastrophic situations can be avoided by an appeasing post or message. Make that person feel extra special by interacting with them and showing you appreciate their custom.

Remember that everything is visible on Facebook. Done correctly this is a big plus. Done wrong and it could really put a dent in your reputation. Also – Facebook is very user friendly and adaptable. You can block posts, or photos from appearing at all. Or if you leave your page open you can always delete posts that you don’t feel are appropriate.

You could say that Facebook itself is a form of advertising. We’ve talked about this before. In addition though, Facebook offers it’s own paid advertising service. You can promote posts to encourage more ‘likes’, or create adverts to direct traffic to your website. It’s extremely versatile and easy to use.

Obviously, in an ideal world, we would all be on top of internet marketing and utilising all the social platforms that are available to us… but in reality, do we have the time? Well we do, and we are currently offering introductory prices on out social media packages, so pick up the phone and let’s have a chat.