If you don’t have a Facebook page for your business you’re missing out on being found, particularly as there are over one billion people making use of this platform. If you do have one, you may not be using it in the correct way. Many of your customers use social media every day and Facebook is just one of the many social sites that you should keep an eye on and use to promote your business.
There’s no magic formula in creating the perfect Facebook page. However, there are a couple of unofficial ‘rules’ that you should follow in order to keep customers engaged and reacting to what you do with your page:
Don’t use Facebook as a spying tool: Last year insurer Admiral tried to launch an initiative where it could use Facebook posts and likes to judge whether their customers would be safe drivers. In return for being stalked, the insurer would offer discounts. But Facebook gave this plan a resounding ‘no’ and booted the idea into touch. So rather engage with your customers and ask what they want rather than be a spy and find out if their claims are going to put you or the insurers you are working for out of business.
Don’t bleat on about your products all the time: I know, this is a tough one. It’s your Facebook page and of course you want to promote your business but you have to refrain from making your page sound and act too much like a sales platform. People get bored very easily and may not want to be pitched at day in and day out. Make it about your customers too. Share content that they may have shared with you. Offer them tips and advice.
Do experiment. There’s a lot of competition to dominate the news feed and you may want to play it safe. But this is not what you should do. Comment on something newsworthy, create your own memes or educational videos. Vary your content so that people don’t get bored.
Do be casual, but not too casual: This sounds contradictory – but the key is to have some kind of balance. You want to promote your company’s culture but if that involves having a regular drink at the local pub you may not want to promote that at all. If your customers think you’re not taking this seriously they may not take you seriously when you start talking about your products.
Do use Facebook ads: When it comes to promoting your business, use Facebook ads as one of the weapons in your arsenal. These days it’s not enough to do nothing and hope someone finds your page. Use the platform to find your target audience. If you have a tight budget the tool enables you to tailor how much you want to spend on promotions. Don’t use the same version of the same advert over and over. Be creative – or if that’s not your strong point, hire a company that specialises in this field of advertising to help you out.
Do start a conversation: Oreo found ways of promoting its product through interesting recipes and engaging imagery. Dove made inspirational videos and engaged with women about their bodies. There’s different ways in which you can make insurance engaging and accessible. Talk about how it how insurance can help your customer when disaster strikes and how it will protect their homes and families. When you make it about them, you’ll find you’ll become more engaging.
