Putting the ‘social’ into ‘social network’
1. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience — who they are, where they come from, what they like and dislike, and what they seek from your business — is a challenging task, but one that will become easier with time.
However, no matter what your business is or who your followers are, there are three primary tasks that you should incorporate into your Facebook content:
Acknowledge your audience
Never forget the ‘social’ aspect of ‘social media’. Your followers have most likely sought out your Facebook page as a means of learning more about, and connecting with, your business. Foster that sense of community outreach by responding to their ideas, suggestions and questions in a timely manner, giving behind-the-scenes looks, posting announcements about new products, services, or team members, posting light-hearted photos or videos they can share with their friends, and so on.
Bond with your audience
A great way to increase activity on your Facebook page is by encouraging the participation of your audience. Ask questions to involve them in your content; remain aware of social events or holidays and incorporate those into your posting schedule; create a hashtag and encourage your audience to use it for themselves. The ultimate goal is to show your audience that you care about their thoughts and presence, and to allow them to feel that, by liking your Facebook page, they are able to connect with like-minded people.
Reward your audience
Make your audience feel that supporting your business through Facebook is a two-way street that benefits them also. This doesn’t necessarily mean offering free products, discounted services or competitions (though these can certainly be effective!). Rewarding your audience means creating a sense of value about your Facebook page, and this could be done by providing helpful information about your business and community, rewarding tidbits about your products or services, Facebook-exclusive bonuses, and more.
2. Maintain Variety
Knowing your audience requires working for your audience — and that means maintaining a balance between business-focussed posts, audience-focussed posts, and personal posts.
Business posts
Posts about your business, products, services and promotions can provide important information for your audience. But remember, most information should be accessible on your website. Make sure you don’t toot your horn too much; around half of your Facebook posts (give or take) can be directly focussed on your business. Much more than that will drive followers away.
Audience posts
Your page may be ostensibly product or service-driven, but audience-focussed posts are a good way to show the human side of things and acknowledge your loyal fans. Remember what we’ve already talked about — come to know your audience and create the types of posts they will respond to.
Personal posts
Remind your audience that there are people behind the brand. Take photos of team members, share videos from staff events, and post statuses that share an essential sense of humanity. These posts can be light-hearted and funny, or sentimental and uniting, so long as they are more personal than business.
3. Build a Smarter Brand
Controlling a Facebook page can require a great deal of time and patience, particularly for a one-person team. You should scale your efforts and work smarter, not harder, for an effective social media page.
Provide exceptional customer service
Your online interactions with your audience should not differ from your face-to-face communications. Remain polite and prompt, cater to your customers, answer their questions, and ensure they have a positive experience. Be ready for interaction, questions and comments – this engagement will create a positive customer experience and help encourage potential customers to reach out to you.
Post consistently
Don’t let your social media pages go stale with months of inactivity. One post a week should be considered a minimum. It is also wise to research which days and hours get the most attention on Facebook. Generally, studies have shown that Thursdays and Fridays are the best days, around 3pm the best time, but you should definitely test this for your own business and audience.
Be part of the world
A part of connecting with your audience is connecting with the community and world around them. If a special activity is taking place in your local area, make a mention of it. If an employee is attending a popular conference, share their experience. If a hashtag is created for a workshop or event related to your business, be sure to use it in your posts. It’s all about transforming your business from a faceless conglomerate to a personable brand that is invested in the same things as your target audience.
Build and maintain that social engagement
Creating an interactive and successful Facebook page can take months. Your audience needs time to grow, and you need time to learn how to create the high-quality posts they’re looking for.
As the number one social media giant, Facebook is too important to be overlooked, abandoned or disregarded.
However, if you don’t have the time or available staff to manage your social media page, get in touch with the team at nucleo. We are invested in your business, and will take the time to get to know you and your audience.
We have engaged with many different companies for the creation and management of their Facebook pages. Our talented group of designers, writers and digital marketers know how to create Facebook posts that will work for your business.