Overview: Steps you can take to make sure your business’s Facebook profile is a quality one, tips to help you practice the best Facebook posting etiquette, and valuable information about ensuring the safety and privacy of your Facebook profile.

Are you a business owner that wants to utilize Facebook to grow their audience while also growing their company’s revenue, but you have no idea where to begin? Did you know there are important rules of etiquette for business profiles on Facebook that all smart, growth-seeking business owners SHOULD be aware of? Do you know how you can fortify your businesses’ Facebook profile and ensure both its security and privacy? If these are questions you need answered, we’ve got the information you seek, padawan learner. Come, let us show you our Jedi ways.

 

What Does Facebook Success Look Like?

We know how frustrating it can be to try and use your posts on Facebook to grow your business and feel like it’s getting you nowhere. But, picture this: You wake up tomorrow, aaaaand… POOF! As if by magic, your Facebook audience is growing by leaps and bounds, your strong online presence is showing your audience how much you care about your customers, and you are now able to fully demonstrate your expertise in your industry? Now, we all know this is typically not how it goes, and I cannot guarantee an absolute explosion of Facebook followers and post engagements overnight. What I can do is provide you with the tools to start adding better value to your Facebook posts. This valuable content will generate more interest in your posts and, ultimately, your business. So, where’s a good place to begin?

 

Setting Up A Quality Facebook Profile:

New to Facebook? You must first set up your profile. Already have a Facebook profile for your business? You still need to read the following items and make sure everything below has been executed to the letter. ALL business pages will benefit from the following guidelines.

  • Complete All The Information About Your Business. Go through EVERY tab and every button to fill everything out. Make sure to add your address, contact information, photos, description, business category: “business service” (this gives you the option to use the Book An Appointment service area: “San Antonio”, hours, COVID-19 temporary service changes “Operating as usual,” products, etc. Make sure your information on Facebook is consistent with what is on Google My Business and your main website.
  • Upload A Profile Image. Use a professional picture of your face or your team (or the “face” of your business). Do not use a logo or leave the default setting of “shadow man.” Communication is done between people, not logos.
  • Upload A Cover Image. Use Canva.com (it’s totally free). Include the name of your business, your location, your phone number, logo, and your website if you want to attract clients. Advanced: Add an offer!
  • Set Up Your Page As A Business Or Brand. The difference is that being a business will allow you to use geotargeting in your ads (important), and it will give you the option to add a Book An Appointment button on your business page.

 

POSTING ETIQUETTE:

Now that you’ve set up your profile, you need to get posting! The following etiquette guidelines are CRUCIAL every time you post.

  • Write Like The HUMAN BEING You Are, Not A Marketer. How you talk matters, people don’t want to read stiff corporate, technical jargon from a robot. You don’t have to be a great writer, use everyday words that people use when they’re having lunch or hanging out with friends after work. Our language holds meaning that can make someone feel encouraged or alienated. Ask yourself, does this sound like something a human would say? Is it clear and simple? If someone I care about was listening to my voice say these words, how would they feel?
  • Be Clear And Guide Your Fans. Let your fans know what to expect when they engage with your content. If you’re posting a link to a lengthy blog article, set your followers’ expectations by telling them exactly how long it is. If you’re including a link of any kind, be clear on what they can expect to happen when they click on it and tell them how it will benefit them.
  • Be Consistent. The biggest mistake brand make with Facebook is posting too little or too much. Post 7 days a week – at least 5-7 times a week. Remember, original content is always best. Time Hack: Write your content in batches using Facebook Creator Studio/Publishing Tools, Facebook’s scheduling tool (you can use Hootsuite, but your post will perform better if it’s created natively. Facebook like to keep people on Facebook). You can spend one day a week on creating posts and schedule them to be posted at a future date (or back post them so you have content on your page).
  • Make EVERY Post Engaging. Keep it short and sweet, people scrolling their News Feed spend about 1.7 seconds to consume an item of content. You must capture their attention quickly and entice them to stop scrolling. the good news is people can recall content after seeing it for just a fraction of a second. Ask questions to get more engagement from fans. Multiple-choice questions, asking for opinions, and fill in the blank are all simple techniques that increase engagement. You can’t simply share information and stories because the more people engage with your content, the more they will see it. The average organic reach for your Facebook posts to reach your fans is currently 5.5%. Reach and engagement is a challenge for businesses and provides increasing motivation to use tools like Facebook Live, Stories, groups, Messenger, and ads to make yourself more visible.
  • Provide Valuable Content. Have a purpose for the content you post. It should connect with your clients/prospects to position you as the go-to expert. Help them survive and thrive by offering them something to help them run their business. tips, how-to, research, answers, certainty, and anything that solves a problem they have are easy ways to provide value.
  • ALWAYS, ALWAYS Use Original URLs. Avoid Bit.ly links because Facebook prefers the actual URL. Do not create a “pretty” link that gets redirected to another link, Facebook hates it.
  • NEVER Use Stock Images Of “Team Members”. It is ok to use high-quality stock images, but it’s not ok to use any fake people to represent your business, it takes away all credibility.
  • ALWAYS Call Out Your Target Audience and Geographical Area. Start your post by identifying who your message is for. “San Antonio Business Owners,” “San Antonio Construction Executives,” etc.
  • ALWAYS Include A Call To Action (CTA). Drive them to a registration page for a seminar or webinar or some other offer: “Click Here To Register Now!”, “Download Your Free Copy Instantly!”
  • ALWAYS Include An Image Or Video With Your Logo. Posts with images will always get a better engagement, so be sure to include one when you can. The more your fans see images with your logo the better associated with your brand they will be.
  • Be VERY Careful With Controversial Topics. IF you are going to post controversial or political content, make sure you are doing it strategically. People will unfollow you – or NOT do business with you – if they see opinionated posts that don’t agree with their own views. They’ll also see it as irrelevant to the topic they WANT you to comment on, which is how you add value to their lives and business.
  • Respond To Fans. Have a team in place to monitor engagement on your Facebook page. If someone takes time out of their lives to respond to your post, they want to engage with your brand. Sometimes, a simple “thank you” is all that is needed, and sometimes a more thought-out action may be required. If someone has a customer service question, reply to them to let them know you received their comment, and the appropriate person will follow up. If you receive a comment that is of a “sensitive” nature, Facebook recommends responding with a private message directly from the post, and anyone can see that your page has responded privately below the comment. You may want to prepare canned responses to frequently asked questions to help your Facebook moderator respond quickly to comments.
  • Share Your Unique Selling Proposition/Competitive Advantage. Tell people who you are as a company, what you do and who you do it for, and why you should matter to them.
  • Avoid COVID Buzz Words. Do not use the words COVID-19 or Coronavirus. You don’t want to get flagged accidentally in Facebook’s new COVID-19 misinformation prevention strategy launched earlier this year. Use other words to refer to the pandemic, like “new normal,” “shut-downs,” and “quarantines.”
  • Tag Clients In Testimonial Posts. Post comments, testimonials, and information about clients and TAG THEM. This will increase engagement and get more people commenting.
  • Use (Great) Images. Do not use stock images or low-quality images. There is no time for sub-par graphics, videos, or text. Facebook recommends keeping it simple by using a consistent color scheme and recognizable images. We find that images of well-known building or areas in San Antonio get great response. When you’re using stock photos that have people in them, make sure to only use “back of head” images – don’t show faces. And you don’t need a fancy camera; your mobile phone is all you need to get started.
  • Time of day: Make sure to post when your audience is logged on and listening, not just when your business is open. You can learn when your audience is on Facebook by checking your Page Insights. Don’t post at the same time every day, switch it up because fans who log on in the morning are different than fans that log on in the evening.
  • Day of the week: Moods change by the day of the week; Monday, morale is low but optimistic. Tuesday, people are at their lowest, the week feels as if it has still only started, and people are also most susceptible to advertisements. Wednesday, the week is starting to look up and people are more motivated. Thursday, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and people are in good moods and like to be reminded of it. Friday, people are checked out, looking to get out, and are easily distracted. Saturday, people are out enjoying their weekends. Sunday, people are optimistic and motivated about the next week.

 

SECURITY & PRIVACY:

We care about all kinds of security here at Juern Technology; Facebook profile security included. Security and privacy are two topics that are and will forever be very important when doing anything on the internet. Keep these security and privacy tips in mind when using Facebook for your business.

SECURITY:

  • Use A Strong Password and 2FA. Pick a strong and unique password and NEVER share it with anyone. Do not reuse an existing password you use to log in to another website. Juern Technology recommends using a password manager like LastPass to create and manage secure passwords for all your logins. Enable two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security. This will prevent someone from hacking your account even if they have your password. I also encourage you to sign up to get alerts when someone attempts to log in from a device Facebook does not recognize.
  • Review Page Rolls and Permissions Regularly. Get familiar with all the different Page Roles available and the permissions they have. Facebook recommends having more than one admin for your page (someone you trust that can get you back in) in case you ever lose access. You can also enable your friends to be your “trusted contacts”; they’ll be able to send you a recovery code with a URL to help you get back into your account. Don’t grant Business Manager permissions to Pages you don’t know and take a moment to understand the permissions you allow.

PRIVACY:

  • Review “Where You’re Logged In”. Make sure the devices listed on in “Where You’re logged In” are devices you know and trust. If you see an active session that isn’t you, click the drop-down menu and select not you. You may also want to update your password.
  • Log Out Every Time. If you forget to log out, you can do it remotely.

 

Always Remember: creating great posts does not mean anyone will see them…You need to advertise.

Now that we’ve compiled and supplied the blueprints to aid you in implementing a better strategy for Facebook, it’s up to you to run with it and see how far it can take your business. The power to turn a previously daunting, time-consuming, and frustrating endeavor into an absolute revenue booster is now in your hands!

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