19 Nov 2013|Read later

@SocialMedia for #Beginners: Facebook Pages

Hello again… now that we have covered Twitter I think it’s only fair to give you the low down on Facebook Pages and how you can use them effectively to increase brand awareness for your company.

I am going to make the assumption that you have heard of Facebook? If you aren’t an avid user you may be one of those who created a Facebook page but only used that one initial sign in with a peaked addiction which lasted the first few hours and quickly dropped off after the first five friends (*cough cough* my mother Karen).   Nevertheless, the time has come for you to utilise this incredible free (and easy) tool to improve the prospects of your business. 
 
There are two main ways in which you can utilise Facebook: 
 
  1. For personal reasons; to keep up with friends and family, to take selfies (pictures you have taken of yourself, now officially in the dictionary!), to let everyone know about the cool things you are doing (e.g. checking into a snazzy coffee shop) and make others jealous by “checking in” at Heathrow airport ready for your winter holiday whilst the rest of us slug it away at our computers in our 9-5s. 
  2. You can use Facebook very effectively to promote your business, event or group via Facebook Pages. 
Today, I am going to talk about Facebook Pages.  

What is it?

As I previously mentioned, social media is everywhere and everyone is using it and one argument is that if your company/ product/ event isn’t on the bandwagon, then you are sorely missing out. It is a great way to connect with your customers on a personal and direct level and create an ongoing prose.  
 
Facebook defines their “pages” as the following:
 
“Pages are for businesses, organizations and brands to share their stories and connect with people. Like timelines, you can customize Pages by adding apps, posting stories, hosting events and more. Engage and grow your audience by posting regularly. People who like your Page and their friends can get up-dates in News Feed.” 

So easy to manage…. 

What’s great about Facebook Pages is that you can use it alongside your personal account (that one you set up ages ago remember?) which means that you can manage the page from your smart phone on the go. Simply download the Facebook app onto your phone (once you have created your page) and hey presto! This is great for quickly taking images and uploading them to page without having to login to your laptop of fiddle about with tiny pages in your web browser. 
So, let’s get started… 
 
Your first step is to visit this page… click on the link and follow the instructions provided. 
 

Rules when creating your Facebook Page

If there are four things you do when setting up your Facebook page, make sure they are the following: 
  1. Looks are important - Try to keep the creative (look and feel) in line with your company/ product website. Just like your private Facebook account, you will have a background image running along the top. I would suggest to utilise this and not leave it blank. It is key to have continuity and a recognisable brand so try to keep the background image that you use in line with your company website. 
  2. Mission statement - You should have a clear company mission statement, contact details, images and any events you may be holding of attending with links to the registration page. 
  3. Contact information - Is ALL your information up to date? 
  4. Events – make sure you have any events you are holding or exhibiting at clearly on the page. Along the left hand side of the screen you can create events – add a link to the registration page and then start inviting! 

What should you post?

Okay, so now you have created your Facebook Page – that’s the easy bit. Now you have to be really dedicated to keeping this page up to date and keeping your likees interested. The primary reason for setting up a company Facebook Page is to introduce another medium through which you can increase your clientele, sales and brand awareness… BUT… that doesn’t mean that you should only post about your company, products and offers you might have. You need to make it worthwhile for people to “like” your page. How can I do this? I hear you ask. Well I’ll answer your question with four simple points…
  1. Keep it up to date = keep people engaged: You have to be dedicated to posting nearly every day, if not several times a day. But, if you are finding that it is too much work for just yourself to maintain, recruit other members of the company and alternate days or weeks of who will manage the page. 
  2. Be a news source: Don’t just post about your company, post about the latest news on the sector within which your company falls. I mentioned in my previous article about setting up Google alerts (search just that in Google) whereby you can set a few key words and each day Google will scan the web and send through a list of all the news articles from that day containing your key words (clever eh?).  
  3. Keep it pretty: Use pictures of products and members of the team when posting; Photos receive +50% likes than non-photo posts. Not only does this add a personal touch but the more stimulus there is the more people will be engaged and the more attractive the page will look
  4. Be witty: Engage people who “like” your page – ask them questions, post jokes and brain teasers
 
 
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