One of the things we hear most often from clients when we talk about Facebook for small businesses is the utter disdain that people claim to have for the social media platform. It’s incredible to hear that no one likes Facebook when over 69% of adults have Facebook accounts, and 74% of those users visit the site once a day (Pew Research Center). If no one likes it – then why is everyone on it? The truth is that it is everyone’s guilty pleasure. But it’s more than that.
Facebook has become our news outlet, our relationship expert, our social planner, our best way to keep up with friends and family, and the advertising center for businesses. With Facebook’s paid ad options, you have incredible access to demographics and behavior patterns that will help you find the perfect person to target with your ad. For small business owners, the concept of keeping tabs on a Facebook account might not be all that appealing. They love it for ads, but they don’t like thinking about the day-to-day maintenance of a Facebook page.
The main reason for that is because they assume that they are going to have to be creative geniuses who do nothing but log in to Facebook when they wake up and stay logged in until they go to bed. This isn’t the case. There are some very easy types of content that you can post that don’t take incredible skills and are not huge time commitments. Here are some types of posts that a small business owner can use to reach your audience and build a great online presence for your business:
Nothing makes a small business owner break out into a cold sweat like the idea of going live on Facebook to talk to customers. It can be stressful the first time or two, but most business owners get used to it, and it becomes second nature. It is well worth the risk because Facebook Live broadcasts get six times as many interactions and ten times more comments than regular videos (99firms.com). The fact remains that if you want to connect with your audience and interact with those who you want to reach, Facebook Live is the most effective way to do that.
A Facebook Live broadcast doesn’t have to belong, but the longer you go, the better off your interactions and responses will be. If you are nervous about seeing who is watching, you can turn off notifications for the video, and you won’t even know who is tuning in. Remember, you don’t have to be an entertainment superstar. Most people are just tuning in for info; they aren’t necessarily expecting you to put on a show. They know your product, so they are just trying to gain a better understanding of what you offer, who you are, and what you are doing going live.
The best part about a live broadcast is that if the viewer is following your business page, they will get a notification sent to their phone that lets them know you are going live. If they click that notification (even if it’s by accident), they will be routed to the video, and they will join your audience. That is a great tool to use as long as you don’t abuse it. Don’t go live just for the heck of it. Post with purpose and save your Facebook Live broadcasts for times when you have interesting, exclusive, or timely pieces of information to share. This way, every time that notification pings in the user’s pocket, they’ll pay attention, and the likelihood that they’ll join in viewing your video increases.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. You can find other blogs or reputable websites that are experts in your industry and share their articles on your Facebook to draw interaction with your friends. If you are a pro bowler and you have a fan page on Facebook, you can share ads that popular bowling magazines have put out about training techniques or new equipment, as an example. You can also build community ties. Post a link to another local business and ask them to do the same for you. Post positive news stories from your community. Remember to be cautious, though. Read every article to make sure there is nothing in there that you don’t agree with. Stay away from politics or controversial subjects (unless they specifically apply to your business) and remember that positivity goes further than negativity on social media, even if it doesn’t appear that way!
Facebook events are a great way to promote not only events in your business, but new product lines, hiring pushes, and just about anything that you can attach a date to. You can invite who you would like, send them reminders about the event, and they will also get calendar reminders that your event is coming up (provided that they have Facebook synced with their email account). Own a floral shop? Promote National Teacher Appreciation Day and invite everyone to send flowers to their favorite teacher. Do you own a t-shirt shop and have a popular restock coming in next week? Create an event page and posts that let everyone know what is happening!
Contrary to popular belief, memes aren’t necessarily great for your business. They can be useful in announcing sales or events, but they don’t usually get as much interaction as a regular picture would. Photos get 39% more interaction than any other type of post (Buffer). Pictures of faces get the highest interaction of all. Images of your team at work with smiles on their faces are great for customers, but they also help potential candidates to hire feel good about your company as well!
Facebook polls have very high engagement rates. Something as simple as a poll asking which color people like better in a new shirt can be very useful in marketing a new product. The truth is, no matter which option they like better, if they like any of the options, that poll has become free advertising. Polls also make the customer feel like they are a part of the culture of your shop. You can ask something like “What should our new summer hours be?” and present some options. The consensus will be that you care about your customers, so much so in fact that you consider their opinion when making decisions about the store. These are great ways to engage your customers without spending a big budget on ads or having to know anything about graphic design!
Still not comfortable with Facebook? We are here to help! Whether you are looking for someone to help you with strategies and social media calendars or someone to help you set budgets and campaigns for a paid social media blitz, Company 119 has social media strategies that are proven and successful. Contact us today to see what we can do to help you with your social media presence!
