How to Better Promote Your Business on Facebook (Part 1)

More than 2 billion people are active daily on Facebook; scrolling through their newsfeeds, posting images, checking out live videos, sharing posts and engaging in others content. According to Hootsuite, Facebook remains to be the #1 social media network most used amongst all ages.

Actively seeking ways to grow your brand’s presence on this network is a no-brainer! Having genuine goals on how you can leverage Facebook can accelerate your business objectives in areas like more website traffic, lead generation, and revenue goals.

Perhaps you are using Facebook in your social media strategy but not yielding desirable results. Or maybe you’re a startup and want to know how to promote your business correctly. Whether you’re a seasoned business or new to Facebook marketing, this 2-part guide will serve as the ultimate how-to in better advertising your brand on the web’s most active social media network.

So here are your 5 Steps on How to Promote Your Business on Facebook – Part I

Step #1 Be Clear on Your Goals

Every post you publish on Facebook should be attached to a specific result you want to achieve. Are you looking to foster engagement (likes, comments, shares) or do you want to drive people to your website? When you are clear on this goal, you can give the CTA within your post specifically leading your audience to take that desired action.

SMART Goals

You can easily set SMART goals for your Facebook strategy and what you want to accomplish. Creating SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound makes it much more attainable, providing benchmarks that marks your progress.

Developing Buyer Personas

The prerequisite to establishing goals, however, is understanding your target audience and who you’re promoting to. What are their pains, problems, and challenges? In what way is your business the solution? Clarity on your audience positions you to tailor your entire content marketing to speaking to their interests and pains. The best way to do this is by developing buyer personas, or creating a picture of what your ideal customer looks like.

Step #2 Create Your Facebook Business Page

A Facebook Page (or Fan Page) is where the magic happens! It allows you to publish ads, share your blog and video content, post images of office shenanigans and inspiration, and report breaking news. It is your business page and you want to generate lots of engagement to keep the buzz around your brand name. You can create a page within minutes to get started.

What to Remember about Facebook Pages

Here are a few things to keep in mind for optimal results in your Facebook Page:

• Post consistently to people know what kinds of message to expect from you and how they relate to your business. Use a content calendar like CoSchedule to help you organize and plan ahead
• Target your posts that will interest a specific group of people for improved engagement
• Keep your post images and text fresh. The more recent your posts, the more interesting people will find them
• Respond quickly to comments on your posts to let followers know you’re engaged and appreciate the feedback
• Boost important posts to reach people who matter to you when promoting your products or services

Key Elements of Your Facebook Page

There are important pieces that make up your Business Page that warrant attention. Optimizing them better positions your Page for leads, website visits, and interaction with your content.

#1 Cover Picture

This is the first thing people will see when they visit your page so you want to capture the essence of your business. You can showcase your product or service or highlight a downloadable content offer with an arrow pointing to the “Sign Up” tab (more on this later) to capture leads. This can be changed out as often as needed to test which resonates most with your audience. The proper size is 851 x 315 pixels.

#2 Profile Picture

Typically 180 x 180 pixels, considering using a logo that people associate with your business. You see, your profile picture represents your Page on other parts of Facebook…it is what people will see on their timeline. Choose one that embodies your business and separates you from competitors.

#3 Timeline Tabs

These tabs allow visitors to see view different parts of your page and are the perfect outlet to sharing more content about your brand. These tabs include the Timeline Tab, About Tab, Photo Tab, Likes Tab (shows engagement like total likes, people talking about your Page, etc.) and the More Tab (shows events you’re hosting, videos and notes).

Depending on your page, you may have a Review Tab where followers can share their thoughts on your brand or page. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews as this has an amazing impact on building trust with new prospects.

Finally, Facebook has added a call-to-action button which you can customize into Book Now, Call Now, Contact Us, Send Message, Show Now, Sign Up, etc. Use this to your best advantage!

#4 Your Page Tabs

These are located above your Cover Photo and only you can see them. The Insights Tab is one to note as this is where you’ll gauge engagement levels such as Page likes, post reach, and comments. This is valuable because it shows how responsive your audience is to your content so you can produce more of what’s working.

Your Facebook Timeline

The bulk of your activity will take place on your Timeline. From publishing posts, videos, GIFs, memes, to pinning a post that people see each time they visit your Timeline, this is where your engagement will take place. Keep it fresh and buzzing.

One tactic that is capturing a lot of attention is with Facebook Live, a live-streaming video platform that automatically plays in your follower’s newsfeed. In fact, people spend 3 times longer watching a live video versus one that has been prerecorded (Source: Social Media Today)! This is a great tool to leverage in building relationships with your audience and delivering remarkable content.

Should You Join Facebook Groups and Follow Other Pages?

This answer is simple…yes! Not only does this expand your presence and influence online, it shows that you’re actively involved in your niche and care to connect with others. You’ll boost brand awareness and stay abreast of what’s trending. The key is not to overdo it. Only join Groups and follow Pages that you will participate in and add value.

Conclusion

After completing Step 1 and 2, you’ll have a solid understanding of your goals and what you want to achieve with your Facebook marketing. Your goals will serve as a guiding light to everything you do on this network so it aligns with your ultimate business objectives.

You would’ve also created your Facebook Business Page or at least enhanced it for optimization. You know the key pieces and what to leverage in your marketing. In the next section, we’ll show you how to promote your Facebook page to increase followers and conversions, how to maximize on Facebook ads, and ways to test your efforts for improved results.