Q: Everyone said I had to get a Facebook page for my small business. Now I have one, but I don’t know what to do with it.
A: Facebook is a powerful tool, but its range of options can certainly be confusing. Here are a few tips to get you started.
• First, make sure your page has complete, correct information about your business: address, hours of operation, phone number, website, links to other social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, etc.), and anything else your customers should know.
• Add your logo or a representative photo as your profile picture, and upload a big, attractive header photo. Your Facebook page is an important online storefront: be sure you’re putting your best foot forward!
• Do you have any upcoming events? Create them via your page (click on the “events” box under your header photo, then click “create event”)—and invite your friends! Encourage your employees to invite their friends, too. Since only people (not pages) can invite other people to events on Facebook, it’s essential to activate your network for event invites.
• People love photos, and they especially love photos of people. Ask your employees and customers if you can take photos of them using your products or services, and post them via your business’s page. Let people know their photos are on your page, and if you’re friends with the people in the photos, tag them! A great photo can be widely shared and serve as excellent advertising for your business.
• Post text, photos, and links that people will respond warmly to. The more likes and comments your content gets, the more people will see it—Facebook is more likely to put a post in people’s news feeds if it’s attracting a big response.
• Experiment—and check to see how you’re doing. Click “See All” above the Insights graph on your Admin Panel to see a list of your recent posts. Which ones have reached the most people? Which posts have fallen flat? Take note of what’s working, and do more of that.
Learn more about how to effectively use social media at Jay Gabler’s next social media clinic on July 25. This, and all our other upcoming media skills classes, are featured on our classes page. Have a question for our geeks? Send it to jay@tcdailyplanet.net, or leave your question as a comment below.
Photo: Safari Restaurant and Event Center uses Facebook to share photos of food and invite people to special events. Read more about this Minneapolis favorite in the Daily Planet.
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