In this series, we uncover the secrets that agencies use to build brands and multiply sales using Facebook and other social channels.
In Part 5 we look at how to Make Your Facebook Profile Stand Out (and get noticed by your future customers!)
Target fans, not followers
Sure, a big number under "followers" might look and feel good on your pages, but they don’t put money in the bank! For success over the long-term, you need to have a solid foundation to build upon - Those users that are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
To find and speak to the people who are interested in your product or service, aim for a smaller, more targeted community. We are looking to develop a solid base, the people who will engage with your content: liking, commenting, and sharing, and in the end connecting you to their own followers.
Keep posts short and sweet
Facebook is social media.
Think cocktail party: don't try to force people to listen to a long-winded conversation they really don’t care about.
Focus on the punchline: you don’t need to be the life of the party, but you should have a point, make it, and get out.
Sometimes those longer-form posts are necessary to display your expertise, but take note that attention spans are short, people are often scrolling quickly, and it takes work to be concise.
If you are putting a lot of content in a single post, maybe try splitting it up into multiple posts. Series of posts scheduled out over time effectively and consistently deliver quality content to your audience.
Use images and videos
No matter how great your wordsmithing gets, a post with an image/video is always better. Facebook is a visual medium, so make your posts visually appealing.
One thing we see ALL of the time is people not posting at all because they are trying to create that perfect image or video... Don't get hung up here - Live videos and spontaneous photos are ideal for encouraging engagement because they add urgency and immediacy to your content.
Heaps of great (and successful) brands only use amateur footage to promote themselves on social platforms because their fans consider it more authentic.
Experiment and be creative — but remember to make your posts visually appealing.
Start a conversation
Asking questions inspires comments (notice how everyone loves sharing their opinions?) If your goal is to grow your following, don’t just go posting pointless questions hoping people will flood your page with engagement. Think about the conversations you want to have - relative to your business - and find the questions you could ask to start them. Real conversations around posts can last for days (or weeks) as opposed to just falling off the feed.
You are aiming to generate a sense of community on your page to encourage your followers to interact with your content. This will increase the success of your content every time you post.
Use social tagging
Using social tags is a great way to reach out to other people or companies you don’t know directly. So, when you create that post celebrating your great supplier, don’t forget to tag them. Social tags (or @ mentions) will notify the person you’re tagging and allow your followers to easily find them on Facebook.
This method of social tagging can be great for “borrowing” another brand’s reach. (If we interact with your post, some of our followers will see it.) More importantly, it’s a great way to build relationships in and around your field.
Use hashtags
A hashtag is a word or keyword phrase preceded by a hash.
Basically, it is a tag on a post or article so that when someone searches for that tag, it will appear in the search results. It allows what you have written to be indexed by the social media network. With this strategy, people who are not your fans or followers can still find your content. The maximum number of hashtags that can be used depends on which platform you are using, but there is no need to max out every post.
Keep hashtags short and memorable rather than trying to use a lot of words in one tag.
And don’t try to be too clever or unusual - like using the name of your startup and expecting it to generate traffic... If you choose a tag that no one is searching for, it won’t benefit your marketing.
Using hashtags that are detailed and specific will lead to better results than broad or general ones. Broad terms are not likely to be searched, and if you use them, your content will probably get lost in a sea of unrelated content.