Hello again, friends! Last post, I finished up my series on different tools small businesses should consider using to reach new clients and different ideas for optimizing customer-brand interaction experience. Now, I am starting a shorter series on the specific social media that people interact with the most, and how brands/small businesses can go about conducting their own PR online through the various media. To start off, trusty old Facebook!
Facebook took the world by storm when access was granted to those beyond the undergraduate realm. With 900 million active users per month, Facebook certainly is a force to be reckoned with (TheGlobeandTheMail.com). So why should your business have Facebook page? Well if the potential for the sheer numbers of people that can interact with your brand isn’t enough to convince you, then hopefully the rest of my discussion will.
Here are some statistics that Facebook’s own research produced:
- 1.19 billion users globally
- 4.5 billion daily generated likes
- 728 million people log in daily
- 4.75 billion pieces of content shared daily
- 16 million local business pages created as of May 2013 (this is a 100% increase from June 2012)
I feel these statistics accurately show that at the very least, every small business should have a presence on Facebook. Now, it’s no lie that it is hard for brands to engage customers through Facebook. Most brands, even big ones, achieve about a 1% interaction rate between the brand and the customers it attracts on Facebook (Econsultancy.com). While this may dishearten you, consider this: these are still results! Results = exposure which in turn = awareness. The interaction, however little, also legitimizes your brand/business’ social media presence. This allows for people who casually check out your page to visit your website or even your other social media platforms you may have linked to your page (which you should have linked to your page, rather). Consider this 1% interaction rate as a starting point on which you can build upon. If you choose to focus your social media ventures on Facebook, then there are ways to increase the chances that you get more of an interaction from your followers.
Some tips to increase interaction with your brand/business:
- profile picture should be a recognizable picture of your brand logo
- have a direct link for your website
- include contact information
- invite your friends to like your page
- CONTENT IS KING! – as I’ve mentioned before, post often, post what is relevant, and make sure your content is smart and good so it gets/keeps people’s interest and adds to the likelihood that your content is shared and passed around
- post at the right times (e.g. if something happening in culture currently relates to your business)
- know who you’re posting for
- advertise your Facebook page in your store, on your business website, in your Tweets, and across whatever other social media sites you use
- engage your followers – through content, through promotions, by commenting back, etc.
- go to friends of your followers
- consider using Facebook ads
Through these tips, you’ll increase the chances of promoting your brand and increasing engagement with your brand. Don’t shy away from Facebook just because the ROI seems low. Simply consider using it along side one or a few other social media platforms (e.g. Twitter, Pinterest, Vine, etc.).
Ok, that’s all I have for today! Look out for my next blog post about Pinterest, easily one of my favorite social networking sites.
Until next time, y’all!
A list of articles I used for this post that you can read into further:
- https://econsultancy.com/blog/63912-how-small-businesses-can-make-the-most-of-facebook#i.kqjas8hlcfro11
- http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/marketing-sales/2013/11/14/6-steps-to-promoting-your-small-business-on-facebook/
- http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-marketing-for-small-business/