Social Media Examiner posted a fantastic article today about seven ways your Facebook page can help your business. Today I would like to talk about two point of the article and what has worked well for us.
The first suggestion is for pages to build credibility with the followers of your page, as well as with new visitors. Set up your page as a local business, allowing you (the business) to collect reviews and testimonials. One important thing to remember is that Facebook, along with Google, strongly discourages offering incentives to customers to leave a review. One good way to overcome this obstacle is by putting up signage in your shop encouraging people to leave a review on their Google plus and Facebook. Another way is to incorporate your social media presence into existing channels like emails, business cards, and websites. By consistently reminding customers to connect on social media they are more likely to engage naturally, offer a review, and share your content. The goal is to own your channels and incorporate it into every aspect of your business.
The temptation for many businesses is to look at social media as an opportunity to self promote one hundred percent of the time. Obviously, the number one priority for any business is to sell but social media presents an opportunity to build long term relationships by engaging with customers on a social level. A good rule to live by is the the 80/20 rule. This means that eighty percent of your posts should encourage engagement, while the other twenty percent should self promote your business with sales, marketing, and self-promotion messages. If your posts follow this guideline you will see an increase in engagement, loyalty, and create promoters among your audience.
