The number of social media channels is evergrowing. We’ve answered the question as to whether or not your business should be on Facebook–but what if it is not? Or, if it should be, what other social media channels should your business be on? The most popular social channels are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Youtube. But do you need to keep up with all of them? Some of them? Which ones?
This post is one of a series of posts where we will dive into each social channel and give you a better understanding of how they can best be leveraged by your business, and what to post on your Facebook for Business page.
We also offer free social media tools for small businesses! See the end of this post for more information!
The Facebook Audience Type
What does the Facebook audience look like?
Facebook is used by billions of people worldwide to connect, communicate, and collaborate with different ideas in groups. And while a large majority of today’s youth actually consider Facebook to be for “old people,” 75% of the users are between 18-49 and 7 out of 10 adults check Facebook DAILY. So if eyeballs are what you’re looking for in a social platform, Facebook has plenty.
However, when considering Facebook into your business strategy, simple impressions are not enough. In fact, getting too many impressions without enough engagement could lead to your posts being seen by fewer and fewer people. Why? Because Facebook’s mission is to keep people coming back (so they can appeal to advertisers). If your feed was always filled with junk (ie: irrelevant content 🧄), that chance that you would return decreases. Makes sense, right?
Engagement is a huge factor in your overall social media success. Creating the right content is crucial to building and growing an organic social media presence.
What kind of content is best to post on Facebook?
Good content is going to be reflected by engagements. This doesn’t mean that 0 engagements mean your post was garbage, but it would be an indicator that something didn’t quite hit the mark. Getting engagements on the content you create is going to rely heavily on two things:
- The specificity of your audience and how well you did in creating a targeted group of followers.
- The type of content and how it matches with your audience’s interest.
Take a look at your followers. Did you just spam a bunch of your friends to build that list? Did you buy fake followers to try and inflate your popularity 👑? If so, both of those could lead to poor engagement rates because your audience simply isn’t that interested in what you have to say.
The best types of content for Facebook is going to revolve around personal, funny, and real-life content. Facebook is considered to be a more personal social media platform compared to others (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). So, going over the top on selling or sharing sophisticated, pier-reviewed articles is just not going to do well in most cases. You need to be personable. You need to interact and ask questions of your followers. You need to show them that, behind the screen, you’re a real person running a business.
Videos 📺 are always a great idea. Videos typically receive 4x the engagement from an audience, especially if they are accompanied by a compelling 1-2 sentence. Video is as real as it gets, and your audience will feel much more involved and engaged with your page by seeing and hearing through video.
Videos typically receive 4x the engagement from an audience, especially if they are accompanied by a compelling 1-2 sentence. Share on XWhat businesses thrive on Facebook?
Any business can thrive on Facebook as long as you have a targeted audience and produce regular content that is consistent with your brand. However, the following business types (all of which are either personal in nature, or relationship-based) do very well:
- Realtors
- Restaurants / Baking / Eating!
- Locally-owned small businesses that put customers, and providing value through connections, as their main focus.
- Laundromats, Salons, and other “personal care” industries.
- Financial Services and Consulting — but only when there is a local-community aspect. It must feel genuine!
What do those 5 business types have in common? PEOPLE. If your business has a heart for people, it will show in your social media. And your audience will EAT IT UP. 🍴
If your business has a heart for people, it will show in your social media. And your audience will EAT IT UP. 🍴 Share on XShould I have a Facebook account for my business?
If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, then a Facebook Business Page could potentially be a good idea:
- Does your business have a local storefront? Hey, not all do. Nothing wrong with that. But, if you do, add interior and exterior photos!
- Do you work with consumers (not B2B) within a local community? Consumers live on Facebook–B2B owners do as well, but they are there as consumers!
- Do you create a tangible product that looks great in a photo? Facebook audiences love to see completed works of art!
- Is your business the type of business that a person would ask a recommendation for on Facebook? (if you run a bunyon-chopping shop, this would be a “no”)
- Can you consistently put out appropriate content for your audience? If not, it can make your business look DEAD ❌ to people who frequence Facebook and rely on it for trusted information.
Nurture your audience and they will love you for it!
Should I stay active on Facebook for the type of business I have?
If you have a Facebook page, whether it’s a good fit or not for your business, you need to keep it active. Having no Facebook page is better than having a dead one. A dead page (the same as a dead website, or a storefront full of cobwebs 🕸) throws a huge red flag of distrust into the face of your audience. If you have one, maintain it or shut it down!
Getting the most out of Facebook
As with any social media channel, consistency is key. For Facebook, you should aim for at least 1 post per day, every day. A post can be anything as it pertains to your business and your audience. For example,
- Announcements and Updates about services, products, store hours, or promotions
- Questions / Feedback requests from your audience. Engagement is a key part of growing any social media presence, not just Facebook!
- Photos from your real-world events: networking, creations, and the culmination of your work (houses, websites, cakes, sales, you name it!)
- Keeping it real. Facebook audiences do not care much for super professional, impersonal information. Make it real. You are a real person, with a real team, in the real world. Make it known!
- Show gratitude. Thank your customers every chance you get!
Time is money! ⏳ = 💲 We offer free social media tools for small business!
Managing your social presence is important, but also very time-consuming! Request a free snapshot report and you can request free access to our social media publishing tool!