In social media, change is constant. In order for your business to be effective in this arena, it is vital to learn new ways to use the technology and quickly implement them in a way that fits your business. This can be especially true on Facebook. With the premise that it is important to stay aware of the changing uses of Facebook, I’d like to share three ways in which your business can be more effective on this platform.
1. Use Page Post Targeting. Facebook recently made a change which allows your organization to target its posts to specific audiences as well as limit posts to specific geographies or languages. This functionality is especially useful for organizations which have a diverse audience. Limiting a post’s audience is especially useful for international companies that don’t want to annoy their diverse follower base by posting a message in a language they many not speak. The targeted post feature allows an organization to select on which followers’ newsfeeds they’d like a particular story or post to appear. The posting filters that can be applied to a post include gender, age, education, location, and interested in. Using the targeted post feature doesn’t restrict followers who fall outside of the posting filters to see the post on the organizations Facebook page; it just doesn’t appear in their newsfeed.
2. Leverage ‘Nearby.’ This application allows individuals to use their mobile device to find businesses near them which have been recommended by their connections. If your business has a storefront, ensuring your business can be found is essential. There are three steps you can take to allow your business to be found.
- Ensure you have a category (and the proper one) selected for your business.
- List your basic business information on your business profile. This information includes your address, phone number, website, and store hours.
- Ask your followers to like your business and provide recommendations. If merely asking for this response from your followers does not yield a significant response, you may wish to have a contest, giveaway, or other way to elicit attention and give your fans a reason to take a moment to share about your business.
3. Like Facebook’s Marketing Page. One of the best ways to ensure your business is utilizing Facebook to its fullest extent is to stay apprised of the almost endless stream of changes and updates Facebook makes. ‘Liking’ Facebook’s Marketing Page ensures you won’t miss an important change by not regularly seeking out updates.
Ultimately, Facebook pages for business are a key way for your organization to engage current and potential customers. However, in order to be and remain effective on this platform, your organization should strive to stay apprised of new opportunities to leverage the platform. Further, it should continually evaluate what approaches on this platform work best for your organization.
Chris Marentis is an expert in the field of local business marketing. Through his company Surefire Social, Chris leverages website development, search engine optimization and social media marketing to generate leads and boost local businesses.
