The takeaway? Managing a Facebook business page successfully could be what it takes to get ahead of the competition and grow your customer base. The first step is knowing the basics of how to use Facebook for digital marketing – and that’s exactly what we’ve laid out below.
1. Choose the right category for your business
When you first set up your page, you’ll be asked to select a category for your business. Be specific with the category you choose to make it easier for potential customers to find you and understand what your business does. For example, if you’re a carpenter who does contract work, it’s better to choose the category ‘Carpenter’ rather than ‘Home Improvement’ or ‘Contractor’.
2. Fill in your essential business information
Make sure all your key business details are filled out in the ‘About’ section of your page, including your website, contact information and a short, engaging paragraph about what your business does.
3. Use engaging, consistent branding
Choose a high-quality, engaging profile photo and cover photo. Pick images that are easy for your audience to recognise – this might be your business logo or a headshot of yourself if you’re a one-person operation. Aim to keep your branding (colours, fonts etc.) consistent across your Facebook page, website and any other online profiles.
4. Know your target audience
Like any other digital marketing approach, knowing who you’re speaking to is critical to getting your message right.
Ask yourself:
What do my target customers want to read about?
What problems do my customers need solved?
What types of content will my customers find most valuable, entertaining or educational?
Keep in mind that once you have an established page, you can also use Facebook Insights to take a closer look at your audience’s demographics, interests and behaviours, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
5. Set goals
Set clear, achievable objectives for your Facebook page. This might include one or more of the following:
Provide a better customer experience
Increase traffic to your website
Increase enquiries about your products or services
Sell more products or services
Grow your customer base
Branch out to new markets
Aim to make your goals specific and time-bound. For example, you might set a goal to increase traffic referrals from Facebook to your website by 20% and online bookings by 10% over a three-month period.
6. Develop a regular posting schedule
Although there’s no magic formula for how often you should post on Facebook, maintaining a regular content stream is important for staying at the front of customers’ minds. Depending on your capacity and your business, this might mean posting several times or a day or a couple of times a week.
Social scheduling tools like White Pages Connect make it simple to cue up posts and save time. It’s also a good idea to use Facebook Insights to find out when your followers are most active, and schedule your posts for those times.
7. Engage with your followers
It’s a common misconception that businesses can ‘set it and forget it’ with Facebook posts. In fact, nearly a third of social media users say they’ve unfollowed a brand due to being ignored. Keeping up communication is critical to building trust and rapport – so make sure to be active and responsive to people’s questions and comments.
8. Track and fine-tune your strategy
Once you have your goals in place, check in regularly to see how you’re tracking through Facebook Insights and other relevant tools like Google Analytics. Use these insights to adjust your approach so that, over time, your Facebook strategy hits the right notes and helps you achieve your overall business objectives.
With White Pages Connect, you can quickly and easily schedule posts on Facebook and other social media sites, plus update your details on search engines, apps and maps. Find out more.
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