If you've been reading our blog and other marketing blogs out there, hopefully you're convinced that
setting up a Facebook Page
can be beneficial to your business. With Facebook now amassing over 750 million active users, it's hard to deny that your prospects and current customers are using Facebook to connect with others and gather information to influence their purchasing decisions -- probably about the very products and services you offer! And if you haven't created a Page yet, what on earth are you waiting for?
But creating your business Page is only the first step. Nurturing a Facebook presence that actually provides business benefits takes some work. That's why we've gathered the following 20 expert tips to help you take your Facebook marketing to the next level.
We couldn't have said it better ourselves!
1. Ask Questions
"It’s not enough to be broadcasting promotional messages — brands should make an effort at engaging with their audiences. Asking questions is a great way to kick off that two-way dialogue." - Erica Swallow, Mashable
2. Don't Over-Automate
"Don’t automatically feed your blog posts or your Twitter updates into your Page. Often, automated content doesn’t make it into users’ News Feeds." - Ekaterina Walter, social media strategist, Intel
3. Don't Make it All About You
"As a rough rule of thumb, post four status updates on items about outside news items or discoveries for every post promoting a product. And when you do mention a product or service, try to do so in a helpful way." - JD Lasica, Socialmedia.biz
4. Leverage Testimonials & Feedback
"Use Facebook to engage directly with your customers and make them part of your marketing efforts... Ask customers to share their successes on your wall and get feedback on new product features." - Leyl Master Black, managing director, Sparkpr
5. Be Human and Personable
"The most successful B2B pages often combine demonstrations of expertise with humor and personality, sounding more like a real conversation than stilted marketing and sales speak." - Karlie Justus, Social Media B2B
6. Offer Variety
"Mix it up a little between videos, photos, questions, information, etc. Don’t have your own videos? YouTube is a treasure trove of ‘em, and sharing sites like Reddit and Digg are great sources to discover stuff people like." - Linda Bustos, GetElastic
7. Be Active
"Don’t take it for granted that you have a page available. No matter how great you’ve made it, if you aren’t active, it defeats the whole purpose of having one." - Orli Yakuel, TechCrunch
8. Post Engaging, Thought-Provoking Content
"Unless they’re interesting enough to draw comments, simple status updates aren’t going to move you into Top News feeds. Publish content that naturally encourages click-throughs or creates discussion." Jim Lodico, Social Media Examiner
9. Make Requests
"Want your fans to express their views on a topic? Ask them. Want your fans to share their favorite content with you? Ask them. Want your fans to share your content? Ask them. You get the point." - Ekaterina Walter, social media strategist, Intel
10. Address Negativity With Tact
"Should there be a negative comment, which scares many B2B companies, address it with understanding and sincerity . In most cases, transparency and listening go a long way in stemming off negative feedback." - Dave Folkens, TopRank Online Marketing Blog
11. Keep it Fresh
"Update your group or fan page on a regular basis with helpful information and answers to questions." - Debbie Hemley, Social Media Examiner
12. Be Consistent
"Nothing makes for a bad Facebook Group or Page than stagnant content. Like a corporate blog or dynamic website, you need to engage people regularly. Even if it’s just posting a new message board topic each week, do something on a regular basis (the more frequent the better) to elicit a response from folks." - Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer
13. But Don't Go Overboard
"One or two strong Facebook updates per day is better than a half dozen scattershot updates that fly by and don’t have the staying power to attract people’s feedback." - JD Lasica, Socialmedia.biz
14. Encourage Action
"Don’t be afraid to ask users to share objects or click on the Like button—especially if you’re new to Facebook. It can take a little while for a Facebook page to gain momentum. Anything you can do to help it along will only speed the process." Jim Lodico, Social Media Examiner
15. Promote Your Page Offline
"If your business is run from physical premises, put a placard on the front desk letting your customers know you’re on Facebook. " - Mari Smith, Social Media Examiner
16. Offer Contests and Giveaways
"Contests and giveaways should not require much effort on the part of your fans but should offer something real and valuable to them." - Candis Hidalgo, content and social media marketing director, FaceItPages.com
17. Provide Incentives & Motivation
"If you want to get people to Like your Facebook page, and become more familiar with your products and services, a strong incentive can help achieve this." - Graham Charlton, Econsultancy
18. Think Strategically About Timing
"Because you have just a short window of opportunity to gain traction with a Share (time decay factor), think carefully when planning frequency and content, and timing. Consider time zones – if you always post at the same time of day, Fans across the pond may never see your updates. Spread the love!" - Linda Bustos, GetElastic
19. Understand How Facebook Works
"Write for the newsfeed, not for your wall...Though some people will be led straight to your wall through a link or ad for example, your existing fans are going to see your update in their newsfeed...Remember that saying something like ‘check out our tab on the side’ is completely out of context for people seeing this update in their newsfeed." - Lauren Fisher, The Next Web
20. Analyze Engagement
"Monitor which posts attract the most Likes and comments (eyeball), and use Insights – Facebook’s own analytics tool – for data. (Integrating your Facebook Page provides much better data)." - Linda Bustos, GetElastic
What other expert tips would you add? What tips from your own experience can you share?
Glenn Johnson 9:58 PM on July 13, 2011
Not really. We had FB ads for one year...spent $30 - $60 per month, got 1550 likes...not one order. We tried questions, surveys, great deals...to no response. FB is so active our walls posts get moved off our fan's pages pretty quick. One simple survey got 3 responses, as it was gone before anyone saw it.
Jas 7:38 AM on July 14, 2011
Oscar Award Winning Photographer, Candice, shoots for major advertising and beauty campaigns, listen to what happened when girl band One Step Beyond went to her studios:
When arriving at Candice's countryside studios we were greeted by beautiful fields, magnificent horses and a serene environment perfect for photography. Inside the beautifully converted barn we were greeted by a dozen industry professionals who were assisting Candice and ourselves on the shoot.
The set-up saw us being transformed into superstars as we had our hair, makeup and outfits all dealt with by a team of top stylists. Both shots were set up beautifully and the whole day ran smoothly.
The team were approachable and fun and made all of us feel totally at ease with the often intimidating setting. We knew we were in capable hands due to the structured running of the shoot and eagerly awaited the final images!
The end result, as you can see, is an amazing piece of photography and Candice is a credit to the photographic industry.
SEE http://on.fb.me/rbyeUz
Jason Stuart 11:14 AM on July 14, 2011
Excellent list, Pamela. That's it in a nutshell!
Cara Stewart 12:15 PM on July 14, 2011
Be topical. If possible, tie your comments to what is happening in the news, events or seasonal offerings.
Brady Williams 12:47 PM on July 14, 2011
related to #14... Liking is much easier/quicker to do than commenting, and is still a positive interaction that sticks. "Like this post if you've ever thought about calling in sick!" would generate smiles, feedback, and attention.
Ekaterina Walter 2:55 PM on July 15, 2011
Thank you for including me in this great post! :)
@Ekaterina
Ryo Yamaguchi 4:16 PM on July 15, 2011
Comprehensive Pamela--you really touch on all the corners of this. I had never really considered No. 19 that much, and that is a really helpful thing to keep in mind! When we are administrators, we sometimes spend too much time on own page and think that's what everyone else is doing! That's a nice reminder that the goal of the like button is to get your posts in people's newsfeeds, so your content needs to fit with that goal.
Abdul Waheed 5:21 PM on July 15, 2011
These are some great tips and a very helpful post, number 7 to be active is one of the most important I must say.
The more active the better you'll get noticed.
Being interactive is also a must, so people can personally interact and get to know your better.
After all its all about making a connection.
Shakti Saran 8:42 AM on July 24, 2011
Hi Pamela and http://blog.hubspot.com, Thank You for sharing! You are welcome on the Chief Marketing Officer - India http://www.facebook.com/cmoindia page. You might also get value from http://www.facebook-fb.com to Submit and List Facebook Page URL, Products, Services, City, State, Country of Business and to Explore and Find Facebook Page URL of Business. Kindly share it with your friends! Best! Shakti Saran