It’s the king of social media and the jack-of-all-trades. Facebook is the social network of choice, and not by mistake with over a billion users currently liking the latest cat video. However, the social networking giant is also becoming a big part of business branding and influencing new and returning customers.
Why Should Businesses Spend Time On Facebook?
There is always an audience on Facebook. With over 900 million users checking their feed daily, Facebook is a juggernaut.
Facebook’s mission is “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.”
Their goal is to make sure users are engaged by showing them with the content they want to see, thus it is crucial for businesses to post like a friend to stay relevant. The biggest value for businesses on Facebook is that they have an opportunity to have a conversation with their community and become a resource for those who need and want to engage with your product or service. In other words, Facebook is the new age customer service tool.
What If My Business is Too Boring for Facebook Branding?
Every business has its audience otherwise you wouldn’t be in business. If you love what you do there will be an audience ready to listen. Take a look at General Electric’s Facebook page. With 1.3 million likes, they’ve figured out a way to make global infrastructure fun and exciting.
Promote the lifestyle, not the business.
You spend a third of your life at work, and like General Electric, your company should celebrate what makes your industry meaningful. General Electric’s Approach:
- Teaching – GE is at its best when they teach their audience about the value of their products. It never feels like pitch, but rather a nugget of knowledge to get people through their day.
- Engineering Pride – They show a pride and confidence through infographics, quotes and blueprints. GE shows how cool they are with examples of successful products they’ve created.
- Video – Plain and simple, video is the most engaging approach to get an audience to pay attention to your business.
How Do I Get More Likes and Interaction?
Don’t be salesy. It’s always tempting to flood your page with links to your product or service in the hopes of a spike in web traffic. In reality this is a short term tactic that will lead to people unliking your page, losing audience members and lowering your overall reach. As a general rule PostPlanner recommends following the 70/20/10 model.
- 70% Informative (Eg. “How to…,” Latest News, Blogs, Quote of the Day)
- 20% Other People’s Posts a.k.a. Social Listening
- 10% Sales, Discounts, Special Offers
No matter how you approach your Facebook branding strategy it should always be seen as authentic and passionate. After you find your angle, the next step is to understand optimal timing and frequency of posts.
How Often Should I Post?
On average Facebook users get about 1500 posts in their feed per day according to Facebook Engineering Manager Lars Backstrom. There is no way a user will see every post, so Facebook uses an algorithm to show you the most important, relevant and interesting events of the day. It may be the gut reaction for a business is to post a lot, but in this case more is not always. For most businesses the recommended amount of posts to maximize engagement is one per day, though this number fluctuates depending on the industry. However, if your company reaches over 10,000 likes HubSpot, says posting 30-60 times in a month actually leads to higher influence and engagement. Though, the only way to be certain is to test, analyze and repeat.
Success Does Not Happen Over Night
The digital age has demanded instant results from all of us, but the truth is successful Facebook Branding takes time, hence the irony with internet marketing and social media. You’re cultivating an online presence for a specific community, but the payoff is huge. Not only do you gain the attention of an audience who wants to listen, but you’re also more likely to convert a sale. According to convinceandconvert.com, “Last year, 68% of Americans using social networks said that none of those networks had an influence on their buying decisions. … Now, 47% say Facebook has the greatest impact on purchase behavior.” This means it’s time to start building your brand on Facebook. If you would like to know more, contact OCG Creative to find out how we can help build your digital presence.