With over 750 million active users on Facebook,  it’s hard not to be lured in by the sheer opportunity it can provide for your business. But it’s important to understand how to use Facebook effectively.

Consider your Facebook Page a hub for all things related to your business. Here, you can post details about what it is you do, as well as link to press releases and media mentions. You can upload videos and photos of your products. You can interact with customers.

Consider this: many people who use Facebook would prefer to stay on the site than click to another website. By providing anything they could want to know about your company, you’re effectively helping them gauge their interest in your brand while staying safely in the confines of Facebook. If they decide they want more, they can click directly to your website and buy from you.

Creating a Marketing Strategy

Once you understand what Facebook does for your brand, you need to create a strategy that will help you steadily build a following on your Facebook page. The key is to provide value. If a potential customer visits your page, only to find it hasn’t been updated in months, or that it lists update after update of self-promotion, that person will leave pretty quickly.
On the other hand, if you link to useful articles (even if they’re not your own), share product information, offer exclusive promotions and even post goofy photos of your staff, you’ll engage visitors and keep them around longer.

When building your Facebook marketing strategy, decide what your goal is. If it’s to get 100,000 “Likes” overnight, all of which will convert to new customers, you’re barking up the wrong tree. If, however, it is to connect with existing customers and find new ones through social media, and if you understand it will take time to build trust with your followers, then you can move forward.

Your updates should include a solid mix of the following:

  • Links to relevant content
  • Response to followers’ questions and conversations
  • Starting new conversations
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Company news and updates

Providing Great Content

Right this instant, people are searching for solutions to their problems. You just might be the one to solve them. You can do this by posting great articles and blog posts on subjects that relate to your industry. If, for example, you are a business consultant, you might write a series of articles on how to start a business. Then when someone is searching for an article on this subject, they find yours. The article leads to your site, and you’ve secured a potential customer.
Remember that when you’re sharing content on Facebook, it doesn’t have to be your own. Find other blogs that are writing about your industry, and give them some love by linking to them on your page.

Q&A

One of the great things about marketing with Facebook pages is that they serve as a customer service tool. If a customer has a question about your product, you can answer it within seconds, and post the answer for others to see.

You can also ask questions to start dialogue with your followers. Maybe you ask them their favorite way to use your product. Or what product features they’d like to see. You get great customer feedback and create conversations with your loyal followers.

Photos and Videos

People like visual. Whether you’re posting photos of your not-yet-launched products or some goofy shots of your staff, you’re connecting customers to your brand. And remember: you’re not all business! Sometimes giving people a sneak peek into what’s behind the scenes can build that connection even faster.

Company News

I’ll be honest with you: not that many consumers read press releases. So if you’ve got something you want your contacts to know about, share it on Facebook. This also gives them the opportunity to comment on your news and feel a part of it.

The Snowball Effect

If you work to post a variety of useful updates daily, you’ll start to see more followers as the weeks pass. Help yourself out by adding a link to your Facebook (and other social media) page on your website and blog, and mentioning it in your newsletter and marketing collateral. Just like any marketing, your social media efforts will take just that: effort. Don’t expect overnight miracles, but know that after a few months of hard work, you will see results.