10 Tips from a Facebook Novice
10 Tips from a Facebook Novice
Over the last few months at GU I have learnt a lot – from getting over my fear of answering the phone to learning the ins and outs of Facebook. So, I thought I would write a list of tricks and tips I’ve learnt for mastering Facebook, and hopefully, they might help you out too.
1. Always make sure you pick a good template for your business page
Making sure that you’ve picked the right template for your business is a must, as Facebook will choose the best layout for your page, but there is no need to worry, if you feel like you have picked the wrong template you can change it by clicking on “settings”, then selecting “templates and tabs” and picking the one that best fits your business.
2. Invite friends and family to like your page
There’s nothing wrong with getting traction from people you know when first starting out. It’s a great way to get your page off the ground – to invite people to like your page go to ‘Community’ in the left column of your page then, in on the right-hand side, there should be an ‘Invite your friends to like (your page’s name)’ box. Simply enter a friend’s name and click invite.
3. Pin a welcome post to the top of your page
This is a good idea so that new-comers know exactly what your business does. You can talk about what’s happened recently in your business, such as events you have been to, or a post welcoming a new employee. Just make sure this post is never more than one week old, as it will make your account seem inactive, and people are less likely to like your page. It’s very simple to do, just create your post, then click the three dots in the top right corner of the post and click ‘Pin to Top’.
4. Have a call to action button
A call to action button is a great way to send visitors to your website, or to other important information. You could have a button to go to your contact page on your website, or to information about an event you are holding. To make a call to action button, click the ‘Add Button’ button below your cover photo, then follow the instructions – it’s that easy! But always check if your button works after you make it, just in case.
5. If you’re targeting a local audience, having plenty of information in your “about” section is a great way to connect with your customers
Adding lots of information to your about section is a great way for your audience to get to know you and what your business does, especially if you are a small company. You can add your opening hours, a map of where you are, and even if there is parking available for visitors. To do this click ‘About’ on the left side of your page, then go into ‘Edit Page Info’ on the right, then add the information you want, and don’t forget to press save!
6. Reviews and recommendations are a great way to impress with your excellent customer service
Reviews are a great way to give confidence to your customers about your service. This feature is turned on by default, so ask everyone you know for some good reviews. These are also picked up by Google, meaning that they show on the Google listings when someone is searching for your company – even better!
7. Adding milestones is a great way to get more engagement on your page
Milestones are a great way not just to get more engagement, but also to have more information about your business on your page – so every time something important or exciting happens, make it a milestone. So, if it’s reaching 100 likes or moving office, milestones are a great way for your audience to get to know your business. A great example of this is Coca Cola’s Facebook page where they have stories from customers, plus the history of the business. To add a milestone, click on your page as if you are creating a new post, but instead of typing, click the three dots under the text box and an ‘Add a Milestone’ button will appear in a list underneath. Click the button and follow the instructions. Simple!
8. The best way to maintain an audience is to post regularly
Posting regularly is the best way to keep your audience engaged and coming back, you can schedule a selection of different posts so that you don’t have to think about what you are going to post every day. It’s very easy to do, just create your post like any other post, but instead of clicking the ‘Share now’ button at the bottom, just above is another box with share now on it, click the arrow next to it and choose ‘Schedule’ instead, pick a date and time for the post to go out, and it’s done.
9. Facebook stories are a great way to sustain your audience
Facebook stories are a great way to not only connect with your audience but also to interreact with them, so it’s recommended that you post twice a day on your stories. Try to post something a bit more personal about your business so that your customers can feel connected to the company. Stories are really easy to create; all you have to do is open the Facebook app on your phone or tablet, go to your page and scroll down until you see the ‘Add to Story’ box. When you click it, the camera screen will appear. Take the photo or video you want to post, add stickers and text to make it more fun, and click the ‘Add to Story’ button. You can also add a post to your story from the desktop. Simply create your post and underneath select ‘Your Page’s Story’ instead of the default ‘News Feed’.
10. Make sure your header photo and avatar are good quality and that they fit
There is nothing worse than a bad header photo or avatar, and they can make your business look unprofessional! Made sure your photos aren’t blurry and that they fit properly in the space provided.
Click here for a cheat sheet for image sizes for all your social platforms.
I hope these tips are useful, and help get you started on your Facebook journey, they certainly helped me.
Customer Service Apprentice, with a passion for communication, blogging and social media.
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