How to Use Facebook for Your Business

FACEBOOK BASICS

The first thing that people see on Facebook is your profile picture. Take advantage of that and use your logo as your profile picture. You want people to recognize that it’s your brand interacting with them on a social network, so it’s often best to make your avatar your logo (or a version of it), and to keep your avatar consistent across all your accounts. You also want to put your company name as your username. When people go to mention you on social media, they’ll look up whatever seems logical – usually your brand name. So, if you can, make sure that your social media username is your brand name. If your brand name is a really common word or phrase or it’s too long, you may have to change it slightly.
Remember when you first made your personal Facebook profile and the first thing you did was start filling in your “About” info? Well, that’s exactly what you want to do when you make a new business page. Don’t underestimate the power of the “About” section of your business page. Similarly to when you go to a website and you want to read more about the company, you hit the “About Us” button in the menu. People do that to your Facebook pages too! This is one of the top places fans will visit.
To have the perfect “About” section, you want to add your mission, vision and values along with any details that would matter to your potential customers. You have a short amount of time to gain the attention of your viewers so only put the most relevant details at the top of the section. In the next section, try answering questions that your potential customers would have, for example, how long you have been in business for. You can also provide short success stories and examples of how you’ve helped others. Rather than using industry jargon in your messaging, talk to you customers in a conversational way. Last but not least, add keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business and would be used by any consumer looking for your small business.

 

UTILIZE FACEBOOK’S INSIGHTS

Facebook business pages provide you with a lot of statistics that you really should pay attention to and take into consideration when going over your marketing strategy. When you first make your business page, what you’re looking for are audience statistics such as age, gender and country of residence. The next step is to look at the total amount of overall interactions and then interactions per post. A great way to ensure you’re getting the most interactions is posting when your audience is online. Another thing you want to figure out using Facebook Insights is what type of content receives the most engagement.
 

EMBRACE THE COVER PHOTO

Your Facebook cover photo acts like your online billboard. You have the chance to immediately convey the details about your company to anyone landing on your page. Let your Facebook cover photo make a strong visual impact. In the description of the photo, tell your story sharing details that allow your viewers to understand the “what” and the “why” behind your business, not just the how. In the past, people have used their cover photo like an advertisement or promotional tool. You want to steer clear of anything that looks too spammy or over-promotional on your page, especially with your cover photo. A good tip is to change your cover photo frequently, keeping it fresh and interesting – but make sure it’s always on brand.

 

POSTING SCHEDULE

When using Facebook for your business, your goal should be to post 5-10 times per week. You don’t want to overwhelm your fans but you also don’t want to post too little so that they forget about you. Every social network is different, so your posting frequency strategy should reflect the norm of the social network you’re on. You also want to keep note of when is the right time to post.

 

FACEBOOK LIVE

Facebook Live is Facebook’s new tool where you can stream a live video and chat to your fans. It’s pretty simple! This is how you stream a live video:

1. In the Facebook app, begin to compose a status as usual.
2. Instead of entering text, look for the new icon just above the keyboard at the far right. Tap it.
3. Fill in a title and select your privacy options (friends, public, etc.).
4. Select front or rear facing camera in the top-right corner.
5. Go Live!

Once you begin streaming, a Facebook notification will be sent to your Facebook friends letting them know that you’re streaming. The top half of your screen will show what you’re viewers are seeing and the bottom half is where notifications of comments and new visitors will show up.
Here are some great tips on how to have a successful live stream.

1. Make a post ahead of time telling your fans when you’re going to broadcast.

You want to build anticipation by letting your fans know when you’ll be broadcasting live.

2. Ask your viewers to subscribe to receive notifications when you go live.

Call out that fans can tap on the subscribe button on live videos and videos that were live to get notifications the next time you go live.

3. Write a compelling description before going live.

A great description will capture fans’ attention and help them understand what your broadcast is about.

4. Go live ONLY when you have a strong connection.

Check the app to make sure that you have a strong signal before going live. If your signal is weak, the ‘Go Live’ button will be grayed out. Try to find a location where you’re on Wi-Fi or have at least a 4G connection.

5. Say hello to your fans by name and respond to their comments live.

Your fans will be thrilled to hear you mention their name and answer their questions when you are live.

6. If you lose connection while live, find a place with better signal.

If you lose connection while live, don’t panic! Go to a place with better signal and your app will automatically try to re-connect. If you are unable to re-connect, your existing broadcast will still be saved to your Page. Think about whether you want to delete it before starting a new broadcast.

7. Broadcast for longer periods of time to reach more fans.

The longer you broadcast, the more likely fans are to discover and share your video with their friends on Facebook. We recommend that you go live for at least 5 minutes and we’ve seen some public figures broadcast for over an hour.

8. Finally, be creative and go live often!

Try different types of broadcasts – and go live frequently – to keep fans engaged.
Going live is such a great new tool for businesses, especially small ones. Going live is a very personal experience between you and your audience. Whether you have one person watching you or 50, the viewer will still feel as if you’re talking to just them. It’s a great way to ensure that your business is as “human” as possible. It’s also a great way to introduce the people behind your company and give your audience a “VIP behind the scenes” look into your world! Who doesn’t love getting a VIP behind the scenes look of their favorite brands?

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Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms out there. It’s one everyone is always on and you can grow your business so much just using Facebook if you do it right. Facebook may take time to attract customers but if you’re doing it right and you do it well, your business is going to BOOM!