With more than 845 million people on Facebook – more than half of whom visit daily – having a Facebook page for your business is a smart idea. But it’s not one of those if-you-build-it-they-will-come situations – you need to actively promote your page and engage your community. Here are 3 ways to do that.
1. Promote Your Page
It’s possible that people will go looking for your Facebook business presence, but why not make it easy for people who you already communicate or do business with. Consider adding your Facebook page address to your:
- Email signature
- Business card
- Website Contact or About page – you can even use a plug-in to feature some of the people who like your page, as I’ve done here
- Social media profiles – including Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, etc
- Online profiles for organisations you’re a member of – such as your Member Profile
- Newsletter
- Product packaging
- Invoices, receipts or order confirmations.
Anywhere you tell people about yourself is also an opportunity to invite them to join you on Facebook.
2. Engage Your Community
The big secret to promoting yourself on Facebook is to make it about your Facebook community, not about your business. What might interest or engage your particular business audience? For instance, could you:
- Ask questions?
- Share resources?
- Link to relevant articles?
- Provide tips or advice relevant to your specialty?
Instead of looking for ways to promote your business, find ways to help your community that reflect your business.
3. Take Advantage of the New Timeline Features
The new-look business pages go live for everyone on March 30 – and there are quite a few changes. For instance, you can now:
- Upload a lovely big cover image
- Have a weekly post or status update that you pin to the top of your page
- Star your most important posts and give them more space on your page
- Customise the way your Facebook apps appear.
Not everyone loves the new Facebook pages, but it looks like they’re here to stay – and they offer some cool new features. With the new Timeline pages rolling out, now’s a great time to promote your page, engage your community and make the most of the new features.
