It’s Time to Grow Your Facebook Business Page

Debbie Harris — August 9, 2017 Follow @DebbieLeeHarris

It’s time to catch up on Facebook with a Business Page

Last week I attended a wonderful all-day digital marketing seminar here in Las Vegas. There were about 80 attendees at the event. I was so surprised to learn that many of these business people did not have a Facebook Business Page. It got me thinking that it was time to address this basic social media marketing tactic again.

There is no denying that Facebook is king when it comes to social media and this is the same as we recognize Google as king of search. We are spending over 30 minutes per day on Facebook. Every week, 3-4 hours on that platform. That doesn’t take into account time spent on Instagram, Pinterest, etc. just Facebook. That means your customers are on Facebook every day, often times before they have their morning coffee and for some, even before they brush their teeth. Where do you keep your phone at night? Is it by your bed? Mobile is also king, that is where we are researching, engaging, laughing and sharing.

If you do not have a Facebook Business Page (what used to be called a Fan Page) then you are missing out. Create a business page, take a custom URL and begin to grow your community. The Facebook Business Page is where you:

• Build a loyal following – now the customer is the driver. Encourage your loyal customers to engage with you on your Facebook Business Page. You want testimonials, reviews and feedback.
  
• Drive people to your website or landing page to grow your email list. Always offer something in return for the email, something of value. A coupon if restaurant or retail, a one-page “tips” or a contest with a prize. Be sure to follow all compliance and legal guidelines for advertising for your profession and the FTC. Email marketing is essential. Remember you don’t own Facebook, get those email addresses so you can market to those people no matter what Facebook does.
  
• Drive more traffic to your website. Use your Facebook page to consistently drive people to your website by always including the link to your website in your Posts.
  
• Let people know there is someone home. It is so important now to be transparent and let your potential customers know that someone is paying attention. Customers will choose a company that has an engaging, responsive Facebook page over one that doesn’t. Share what’s going on with your company, staff, products and services. Ask for feedback.
  
• Separate your personal and professional life. This is particularly important for certain professions, i.e. legal, teaching, physicians and others. Your Facebook Personal Profile is your personal page, set your Privacy Settings accordingly and check them every now and then. Your Facebook Page is public.
  
• Be current, relevant and “with it”. If you aren’t there, you aren’t there and you won’t be found. People expect you to have a Facebook Business presence. It is a red flag if you don’t. A Facebook Business Page that is active validates your business as real.
  
• Educate, Enlighten and Engage with your audience. Don’t keep selling to them. Give them valuable information, humor and offers/discounts. Keep them coming back.
  
• Facebook Boosting is so inexpensive. Use Boosting of Posts to expand your audience. Remember to carefully select demographics. If you are a brick & mortar establishment, choose zip codes around your location. Look at “interests” and other demographics that your potential customer might have. Start with a $ 50-$ 100 budget for a month. Boost engaging information, link back to exactly where you have a Call to Action. Use #hashtags in your posts.
  
• Facebook has it’s own scheduler for Posts. You can schedule posts in advance but always remember to check back for engagement. A note, you cannot Boost a Post until it is Posted so make a note to Boost it after it has scheduled on your Page. Use the Pages Manager app on your phone to deal directly with your Business Page.
  
• Just Do It – you can’t break it. Stop making excuses and get going with your Facebook marketing on a Business Page. It isn’t going away, it doesn’t bite and while it can be annoying, it works. Millennials particularly expect you to be there but so does everyone else.

Have some fun with your Facebook Business page. Think of questions you are always asked and make those into informative Posts. Always use an image but NEVER take images off the web. Not even Google Free Images. Use pixabay.com or pexels.com. There are others as well. Humor sells but no politics, religion or highly controversial issues.

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