Ways to Engage Your Facebook Fans
With 8 million active Facebook users is there any individual or business left that is not on Facebook these days? Facebook is not only a leader in social networking and engagement but also a primary search engine for potential and existing customers of businesses.
All of these reasons are guiding companies to use Facebook as an ideal tool in order to create online communities.
Compared to traditional marketing choices, Facebook marketing costs little and or next to nothing. However, business owners can often be disappointed when they observe that their audience is not engaging with their page as they had hoped. Converting an observing fan base into an engaging fan base can be challenging but also rewarding.
Increasing Facebook fan engagement is more than just posting status updates about your business. Try these quick tips to increase your Facebook fan engagement:
Post relevant content
A company’s Facebook page should be treated like an online community built around the primary thread of interests of the fans of your business. Finding the appropriate content to post may also take time and demographic research of your brand. Who is the target audience? What do they all have in common?Only 20% of your Facebooks posts should actually be directly about your company or brand. Most of the content posted should be interests relevant to your brand or topics that your audience will find useful or interesting. An interesting post can lead to shares that can result in an increase of fans.
Have a compelling profile page
Having a compelling and professional profile is the difference between a potential fan that likes your page versus one that simply passes over your page. How do you make your page compelling? Start off by filling in all of the business information wherever you can. Fill in as many of the default sections so that the profile looks complete and maintained. You’ll also want to make sure that there are links to your company’s other social media platforms such as Twitter or blogs. Also, make sure it’s visual and catches the eye! Add photos and keep updating content on a regular basis.
Lead the conversation
Whether it’s an employee or a social media manager directly posting on a company’s Facebook page, this person is responsible for directing the online conversation on their Facebook page. Leading the conversation means keeping topics and the tone of the Facebook page positive and upbeat.Be creative with how you lead an online conversation. Page admins can ask thoughtful questions and respond to the comments of fans so that a customer knows they are being heard. The main goal of leading the conversation is to create a positive community for existing fans and to have page visitors perceive the company as friendly and ultimately becomes fans themselves.
Engage other online communities
There’s no reason to keep the conversation within your own online community. Get to know your Facebook “neighbors” by becoming active participants on other business pages. Not only will this help create a positive image for your online community, but also it will help you increase the number of Facebook fans and level of fan engagement for your own business.
Offer value
To generate sales, you have to offer value. Offering online perks on your Facebook page is a great way to satisfy existing fans as well as entice new fans to your online community. Many people scour the internet to find something tangible and valuable. Knowing your Facebook page offers valuable discounts, giveaways or contests will keep fans buzzing around your page. They may even share the discount content further increasing your fans! Discounts and coupons increase engagement both online and in person which can lead to an increase in sales.
Check in regularly
A thriving online community can indicate a thriving business. Updating status updates and maintaining accurate business information in online communities significantly reflects on a business. Regularly checking for customer comments and posts allows people to be answered in a timely manner. You never want a customer or potential customer to go ignored or feel like they aren’t important to your business. Make sure status updates are posted daily to keep your brand in the front of your customer’s minds.Implementing a plan to increase fan engagement requires dedication and daily effort but a thriving online community can be rewarding for both page owners and fans.
Not sure where to start? Hire a social media consultant to find out where your online community stands and let them guide you to where and how you’d like to see it grow.
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