When we use Facebook social media as part of our business marketing strategy we are essentially marketing our business to the wider community or followers. The is a huge difference between posting engaging, interesting and relevant updates that are going to add value to your brand and business compared to those that not only waste your time, but also will result in social media followers leaving your page.
Your Facebook business profile is the face of your business (on Facebook) and when you represent yourself to new clients in person you prepare yourself so the client is getting the best from you and understands what your business can offer them.
Social media is the same, posting boring content that doesn’t interest you isn’t going to interest your Facebook followers and encourage them to interact with your business.
Webics have come up with the top 5 ways of engaging your customers and encouraging them to interact with you using Facebook.
- Respond quickly and personally to all messages. If a customer posts on your Facebook wall that they were happy with the service you provided them you can assure that you would be quick to comment and thank them for their business, the same rule should apply for negative comments. The first rule to a negative comment is not to remove it, but to address it quickly. Facebook can be an excellent customer service tool, allowing you to recognise a problem in your business ultimately making your business better. By offering your client a public solution to their problem it shows other followers your dispute resolution skills, making them more comfortable knowing that you will provide a solution to any issues that might arise. It will also show customers they can comfortably interact with you via Facebook.
- Run competitions. By running caption competitions on your Facebook page you are creating a connection between you and your followers. Facebook users generally follow a business page because they either a. Know the business owners b. Have done business with the business before c. interested in doing business with the business or d. Interested in the brands, products or services that the business offers. Caption competitions or competitions that engage your followers is an excellent way to build interaction levels. Make them laugh, make the connection easy and engage your followers.
- Use Photos. By using photos to engage your Facebook audience you are giving them something personal and something that they can relate to. Data shows that interation is more common when there is a photo attached.
- Ask questions. By asking your customers and followers questions you are engaging them for feedback. Ask your clients questions that will interest them, questions about themselves, their families, their interests and how you can help them.
- Know when to post and when your followers are active. Different people and statistics say different things. If we are looking at business professionals the ideal time to post is weekday from 6pm as people have finished work, are on public transport on their way home and looking for entertainment. However if you are looking at targeting the youth market the ideal time to post is between 1pm – 3pm weekdays. Many business social media marketers tend to forget to post on the weekend when social media is most active. Research your client base, look at the demographic that it makes up and connect with them accordingly.
Social media looks like it is here to stay and with so many mediums out there it is easy to get caught up spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms. It is best to use only one platform and do connect with your audience effectively so you are achieving results.