When it comes to a business presence on social media platforms it is important to remember that your continued growth and success depends highly on your ability to take it to the next level. Take Facebook for example.
Do you have a Facebook FanPage for your business? Maybe got a nice jpeg cover photo? How about a strong call to action and other text? Did you know that you could be doing yourself more harm than good with that photo? While it is true that your cover photo should be engaging it is also important to remember that there are many cases where less can be more.
Your Facebook business page allows you a public forum where you can get to know your fans, and they can get to know ‘you’ on a personal level. That being said, as in the physical world first appearances are everything. Take the current cover photo on the Coca-Cola page.
The picture is simple with only a hashtag in the bottom right corner. A Coca-Cola logo appears in the upper right corner but the focus is on the kids having fun in the center. Remember, you can present the cover photo in many different ways, but you should select one that will appeal to your fans rather than one that appeals to yourself!
If you are looking to really get your page out there you might consider using a Facebook ad. Facebook ads allow you to target a particular population and can really boost your numbers. They are perfect for reaching those Facebook users who may have not been exposed to your particular brand. The steps for creating an ad are rather straightforward and easily accomplished. Make sure to tie your site into the ad and then fill in your details. Make sure you let your potential fans/customers know what your business does and what it can do for them. Once you’ve gotten this part set up all you have to do is choose your target population.
When it comes to interaction less can be more. People do not want to read long updates and will tend to skip over them. Even worse, they may click on hide in their feed. You could easily lose their viewership and interaction. Keep a good portion of your updates down to two sentences or less.
Also, the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words couldn’t be more apropos. We are a visually driven society which certainly explains why so many pictures, memes, eCards, and more get shared across Facebook every day. Make sure that you are using plenty of pics, but also make sure those pictures you select are tasteful and represent your brand well. It can certainly help if you can include a degree of humor where possible as well. Remember, you are building your social personality. When your posts are as dry as cracker juice and devoid of character you will much less likely to grow your account.
Facebook is an outstanding social network for reaching out to potential new clients, but it does require a degree of forethought when deciding on a plan for achieving that goal.