6 WAYS TO A MORE EFFECTIVE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR YOUR BRAND

Congratulations to you if you’ve already created a Facebook page to lend further exposure to your brand.  You’re well aware of the benefits and advantages Facebook pages have to offer and making use of a Facebook page, as you know, is one of the smartest things you can do for your business.   Here are a few tips to help optimize your brand’s page and to let you effectively engage and maintain significant dialogue with your fans & clients:

1.  Develop a distinctive voice for your brand.  Consistency is key here – you want people to know who you are and what your brand stands for.  It’s important to adopt a voice that best represents your brand and to sustain that voice.  I’m not suggesting that you should never try to mix it up a bit and be predictable to the point of being boring, but people like to be able to identify with something, so let your brand speak in a voice that will enable that identification.               

2.  Never propagate the hard sell.  I’ve discussed this prolifically in previous posts.  Social media is not about blatantly advertising to your fans.  It is all about engagement and interaction.  And, that’s what your brand’s Facebook page is for – to connect with your fans and clients and to be accessible to them.

3. Promote dialogue and discussion by posing questions and encouraging fan involvement.  What better way is there to improve upon and expand your brand than to ask your audience for their feedback?  The inter-connectivity of your brand’s page makes this simple and straightforward.  Ask questions; ask for feedback and commentary.  People love to share their thoughts and opinions, and again, who better to listen to than the very people you are trying to engage. 

4.  Never inundate your fans.  The idea is to engage and enlighten, not to overwhelm.  Of course you want to post on a regular basis to maintain your audience’s interest, but nobody wants to be flooded with a hundred posts a day.  You’ve heard the expression “too much information”.  One or two posts a day will suffice, however, if you receive a comment or are asked a direct question, an imminent response is always warranted.

5. Post lots of photos, videos and polls.  Informative, thought-provoking posts are great!  But, human beings are, by nature, visual creatures.  If you really want to step it up a notch, ensure that you post photos and videos to enhance the visual aspect of your Facebook page - makes things more interesting, enticing and fun.  And, polls are a very effective way of fostering audience participation and garnering information.  It doesn’t always have to be business related either – sometimes a fun poll can lighten the mood a bit and let your fans know that you do have a human side – which leads me to the next point…

6. Be personable and show you’re human.  Social media have significantly altered the way businesses interact with their clients.  They have allowed for, well, just what the name indicates – ‘social’ behavior.  In enabling two-way communication between business and client, social media have broken down the barriers to allow for unprecedented personal, individual attention and interaction.  Take advantage of this and talk to your fans on a human level, the way social media have intended.  Get more personal with people – ask more personal questions – get to know them and what makes them tick.  Wish clients a happy birthday or congratulate them when their children are born!  A Facebook page not only allows for, but begs this type of interaction.   It all goes to customer service & satisfaction and developing a loyal fan base!