Facebook is the #1 social network with 231 million monthly users in North America.
Although it was initially created as a personal network, more and more features are provided to professionals. Nevertheless, its main communication mode remains aimed at people in their free time.
Here we present 7 tips to help you use Facebook as a professional.
1. A complete business page: Complete all fields and don't forget the images
Fill all the information your followers could need (such as opening hours, contact modes etc.)
Identify your page so that it is recognizable at a glance. Make sure your corporate image is clear and neat. If you are present on other social networks, do not hesitate to use these same images to federate your pages between the different platforms and confirm to your user that they are in the right place.
Facebook also offers the opportunity to share key dates for your business. It may be a good idea to fill them out as it will allow you to show your evolution and be closer to your users.
2. Publish regularly
Do not publish content that has not been thought through.
Try to publish regularly. Facebook is a very dynamic network and a lower publication rate could make you stay in the background.
Facebook is also a platform on which people come for entertainment. It is therefore important to publish content to distract your community.
Besides the publication pace, it is essential to pay attention to the content you want to share because if it is not consistent or relevant with your brand, it will only hurt your image.
Sharing random articles is not a constructive way to make your page live. If your subscribers know that the quality of your content is fluctuating, they will gradually lose interest in your page.
3. Keep it visual
Thousands of contents are published every day on Facebook. You have to stand out to interest your subscribers and people who do not know you yet. It is therefore recommended to always put an image or a video in your publication to catch the eye.
To ensure the visual consistency of your publications and to offer good quality elements, we advise you to establish a style guidelines beforehand. An image with poor quality will not inspire your subscribers to know more about your post.
Facebook also has a pinning feature that can help you better organize your page. Do not hesitate to pin and unpin publications as the weeks go by to insist on content and make your page live.
4. Incite your subscribers to act and fidelize them through your communication
A social network where no one interacts is useless.
Adapt your communication to your target to make them want to participate in your page, or even recommend you to other people.
To vary your publications, you have the opportunity to mobilize your community through surveys or contests. In any case, do not forget to invite them to react, to comment ... They must feel valued in your communication.
This valuation also passes through your answers to their comments. For example, not taking the time to respond will only hurt your brand image and will not encourage interaction.
5. Pay attention and understand your subscribers behavior
Facebook has tools to set the most relevant hours and days to post content, depending on the target you are focusing on.
These tools will allow you to adapt your publication pace, to avoid overwhelming or annoying your subscribers.
As you can see from the screenshot above, Facebook offers you a daily and hourly evaluation, separately.
Feedback from your publications will also help you refine the type of publication your subscribers expect. Keep in mind that a reaction such as "I love" has more value than "I like" for Facebook, and it is up to YOU to provoke it.
6. Do not fear to explore the administration panel
Facebook is a complex tool that needs to be tamed to take advantage of it.
Do not be afraid to try things, but avoid doing everything at the same time at the risk of not being able to clearly see the result.
Facebook also has many tutorials to help you find what might interest you as a professional and to use it in a relevant way.
7. Learn to use the marketplace and sponsored contents
Facebook puts tools at the service of professionals, whatever their size.
The Marketplace helps having an overview of products that locally interest people and the price they are willing to put on for second-hand products. This can help you better position your own offer. Ignoring it will not necessarily be harmful to you, but you might miss an original business intelligence tool.
Sponsored contents are ads that will allow you to reach new people in a defined geographical environment at a certain time. Their prices vary mainly depending on the number of people you are targeting, the duration of your campaign and the geographic area you want to reach.
Being able to target precisely is an advantage that will allow you to easily reach the desired demographics.
In summary
In short, Facebook is a platform that requires regular activity and careful interactivity. It is not enough to show signs of life each week to have a viable page.
The users are there to be entertained or to learn, there is not necessarily any commercial spirit. It is you who must create the commercial link.
Keep up with our series about social networks
Discover our series of articles on this topic that will help you select and tame the social platforms best suited to your objectives :
- 6 steps to build a social networks strategy
- 9 tips to properly use LinkedIn when you're a business
- 7 tips for using Twitter effectively when you're a professional
Ask for our expertise
We can also help you establish your social networking strategy through an audit, which will allow us to analyze your business environment, before creating a detailed plan tailored to your needs.
Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.