Facebook: The Best Friend of a Small Business
If you own a small business there is no reason not to have a Facebook page. There are over 350 million users which means no matter who you are, most of your customers are likely on there.
The goals of your Facebook fan page should be something like this:
1. Interact with customers and develop meaningful relationships
2. Monitor your brand and listen to what people are saying about you. Accept this as a form of feedback.
3. Attract customers to your website.
You may claim that social media sites are a waste of time because there is no way to relate it to the sales. I would strongly disagree. For three out of every four websites I have run social media campaigns for, Facebook has become their number one source of traffic. Furthermore, that traffic tends to have a lower bounce rate than other sources of traffic (meaning people from Facebook don’t leave your website immediately) and these people also prove to have high conversion rates (meaning the visitors from Facebook tend to buy the product more often than other sources of traffic). Of course this won’t be the case for all industries, but in my experience Facebook is legit!
Now that you are sold on the idea, how do you go about running a successful Facebook page?
1. Set it up – Setting up a business page is as easy as setting up a personal profile. The only difference is that you fill out some information on your business instead of what your favorite music and movies are.
2. Invite your immediate network – People like being invited to pages. Start building your network by reaching out to your friends and family. Get a solid crowd on there before you begin targeting strangers.
3. Target the appropriate demographic – Friends and family will only get you so far. Join groups related to your niche industry. Interact with people that may be interested in your product or service. Leave links to your page at the end of your comments. Remember, you must hustle…not spam.
4. Announce your Facebook page everywhere – On your website, product packaging, fliers, business cards and any other collateral. The more places your print it, the better chance of someone finding you on Facebook.
5. Run a contest – There are many ways to do this and it is your chance to get creative. Have people submit their favorite recipes and the winner will get a free product. Or maybe have people submit their favorite memory related to your niche. The point is to get people excited and engaged. Give them a reason to be there.
6. Offer perks – Offer some things on your Facebook page that people wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. Perhaps a sneak peak at a new book you are writing, or a discount you can get only if you are a fan.
7. Produce content – Concentrate on producing fresh content on a consistant basis. Similar to a blog, people need a reason to keep coming back. Tell them what’s going on with your company, give them free tips or advice about your industry, or do anything you can to create value for your fans. Set yourself apart from all the crap out there.
8. Interact constantly – Respond to comments, engage in legitimate conversation, and show that you care. The number of fan interactions will increase dramatically if they know the page owner cares and is watching. The more interaction on your page, the more you will show up in other people’s news feeds. This will lead to more fans. I find the best way to do this is to ask interesting questions to the fans because there is always someone on Facebook looking for a conversation.
9. Get the traffic- Make sure you point people to your website. There is a section on the page to fill out the a link to your site. But additionally, you will want to remind people in conversations that you are selling something that they want. At the end of the day, none of this matters unless you can convert these people into paying customers.
If you want an example of an up and coming Facebook page, check out Brad’s Raw Chips. We have implemented all of the advice above and it has led to great conversation and a steady flow of converting website traffic.
Have any other tips on promoting your Facebook page? We would love to learn more! Leave a comment!
I agree. The hardest part for many people is keeping content fresh and offering perks. This process has to almost become a mind-set of what would be the best way to capture this event so it can be shared.
One other thing I would like to add is now Facebook requires a third party administrator for contests on Facebook, so check the guidelines to make sure you are up-to-date.
Thanks for the tip Robin. I will most certainly look into the guidelines and check on third party administrators.