Ok, so you now have a Facebook Page setup for your organization. Nice, new and shiny. It has been properly configured and populated. It’s ready to go. Now what do you do?
(Of course, the creation of your Facebook Page is part of the execution of your marketing strategy or social media strategy…. Right? It should be. However….)
We often get asked “Now what?” from clients who have created a Facebook Page or had one created for them. So here are some basic suggestions to get you started.
The suggestions are in three groups: Content (what to post), Exposure, Monitoring.
Content
You should be sharing information with your audience which is helpful to them (not you). Ask yourself, “What would my audience find useful, would solve a problem for them, would inform them of a new capability or approach?”
Your posts should be directed at being helpful without a direct resulting benefit to you. If you want to become known as a local expert in your industry, then provide useful content, become known, and be patient for the benefits once you become a trusted source of information.
A general rule of thumb is that for every 4-8 helpful posts, you can do a post that is about your products/services, a sale, a contest, etc. That seems to be an acceptable mix of helpful versus self-focused posts in most online communities.
Think about how a specific product can solve a specific problem, then post about the problem and solution, but don’t make the post about the product or “get it from us.” This approach can be repeated regarding a number of issues that your products or services can solve, but the posts need to be focused on the recipient and the benefit to them. You need to first contribute to your community.
Include a photo with as many posts as you can. Posts that include an image (photograph) are read by many more people than text-only posts.
Also post about any local charities, fundraisers, or teams that your organization supports. Post about local interest activities.
Occasionally remind people of the address of your website and of your Twitter account (if you have one).
You should create a posting schedule and be consistent in the timing of your posts. At a minimum, one post every week, but it is much better to have 2 or 3 posts per week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Reserve the time in your calendar and just do it. It will pay dividends later if you become known as a source of beneficial content.
Great helpful content will help your posts to be shared with other people and will help your audience to grow.
Exposure
How do you obtain an initial audience so that your audience can grow organically due to your wonderful content? 🙂
Start by telling your friends, your organization’s suppliers and customers about your new Facebook Page and ask them to Like your page. Give them a reason for Liking your page by telling them the type of content you expect to be posting over time. Also give them the address of your new Facebook Page to make it easy for them to just click the address and then click the [Like] button.
You could also put the address of your Facebook Page on:
- your POS receipts
- a small insert that you put into bags at the cash register or into packages that are shipped
- a big sign within your store or in a store window
- on any paper mailings that you do
- in any newspaper advertising that you do
- in any email newsletters that you send out
- in any promotional or sales materials that you generate
- in any correspondence that your organization generates
- in your email signature
- write a short article in your blog to announce your Facebook Page
- add links on your website and on your blog to your Facebook Page
That should help to get the word out about your new Facebook Page.
Monitoring
What if someone posts a question on your Facebook Page? Will you know (so you can answer them)?
A general rule of thumb is that you should provide a response to any question or comment posted on your social media platforms within 24 hours, even if that response is that you are looking into it. Don’t let a question go unanswered.
With Facebook, this is quite easy to monitor. For each person who is an “admin” of your Facebook Page, they should each edit the Page’s settings and ensure that all of the checkboxes on the “Manage Notifications” page have been enabled. This page is sometimes called “Your Settings.” In this way, the Facebook system will send the admin person an email message whenever someone posts to the Page. In addition, if the admin is logged into the Facebook system they will see a Notification indicator (a red number) at the top of their news feed.
General
For new Facebook Page owners, consider the above suggestions and determine which ones might be beneficial for your organization. Not everything works for everyone, and “your mileage may vary.”
Most organizations find that the more they put into the execution of their social media strategy, the more they get out of it.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
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