Wednesday, January 15, 2014

3 Things Every Business Should Do On Facebook Everyday

In today's marketing world, Facebook is a "must do" for any business. The reason is simple: Our prospective clients and customers expect us to be there.  People would look at us like we had two heads if we told them we did not have a Facebook business page today. That being said, simply creating a page and setting up the profile is not enough to be successful in gaining an online presence and attracting referrals (obviously). We have to be active.  If not, it would be like showing up to a network meeting or function and not saying a single to word to anyone.  Sure we could mark it off of our to-do list as something we did, but did it really accomplish anything?  Probably not.  There is a strategic game plan to Facebook that every business should follow.  Ready? Here we go:


1. Post:  I know this sounds obvious, but not every brand posts daily.  This is a mistake in my opinion because people check their Facebook accounts SEVERAL times per day.  If you're not posting, your competition surely is.  Also, imagine if someone visited a website to check out a business, notices the Facebook icon at the top, clicks it and then sees that the company has not posted since 2012!  What must that person be thinking?  "Are they still in business?  Do they not care anymore? Are they too overwhelmed to take on more business? What happened??" Posting daily is crucial to maintaining the relationship with our fans and followers.  There are exceptions:  I never post on Sundays (family day and my day of rest), nor do I post on national tragedies or anniversaries of national tragedies. No good can come out of it so I remain silent.


2. Respond to comments: There is nothing worse than a comment just sitting there. "Hello? Can you hear me?"  If someone asked us a question in real life, or gave us a compliment and we did not answer them, that would be awkward beyond belief.  Same goes for Facebook.  Responding back to comments in a reasonable amount of time (a few hours) encourages more people to comment which leads to more fans interacting with the page.  It also will lead to the person that commented to visit the page again.


3. Like/Comment on other pages: Building relationships via social media is very similar to in-person networking (BNI, Chamber, networking group). Saying what we do is great (30 second commercials), but having side conversations by the coffee before the meeting and mingling with people after will let people get to know you, like you and trust you.  This is the same on Facebook.  If we simply just post daily, but never interact, we will never gain the traction we need to build relationships and attract referrals.  One thing I do everyday for my clients is log in as their business page, "like" a few business pages in the community, and comment on positive/safe statuses. I avoid posts having to do with politics, religion, or anything that would be considered inappropriate.  The beauty of commenting on other pages (not selling or spamming, simply commenting to give value to the post) is that it gives our brand exposure outside of just our page likes.  This is a great way to grow your page and business organically by attracting people that had no idea you existed.


Building a community and attracting referrals on Facebook, does not happen overnight.  It is like trying to get into shape.  We cannot do one or two reps in the gym and expect to see spectacular results that day.  However, if you stick to a daily plan and you are consistent with it, you will reap the benefits.  Follow the steps above everyday and let me know how it goes for you and your business.  I hope this helps and please feel free to add to the discussion below.

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