By Rachel Newman
For marketers, Facebook can be your most useful tool, but it can also be the most frustrating. As someone who considers themselves “tech-savvy,” I am constantly befuddled by Facebook’s new rules, changes and its users.
Just as I start to get a handle on the bevy of personalities who use Facebook and the rules which govern it, everything changes. Suddenly, demographics have changed, applications I used every day no longer exist; I am back at square one. Clearly, social media is expanding faster than any business owner can anticipate.
Facebook keeps companies and users on their toes with new features and confusing new guidelines which accompany those features. For everyone out there who can’t seem to stay ahead of Mark Zuckerberg and gang, here’s a simple guide to posting methods and design techniques that should help your company page take off:
Go against your gut. Even though the time you are most likely to post on Facebook will be your working hours, fight that feeling. Posts that go live on the weekends or between 5pm and 2am get the most response from Facebook users. Obviously, we don’t expect you to be waiting up till 11pm to post a new status update for your company, but websites like Hootsuite can help you schedule and post updates when you aren’t by your computer.
Post, post, post. You may not want to badger your fans with tons of posts and updates, but studies show that a company that posts often and consistently will illicit the most response from their fans, as well as gain a larger following. However, each business must find the right balance between posts and un-followers.
Give your fans a little personal with your business. Updating links and new statuses is good, but businesses will get the most interaction from their fans when they post photos and videos of people and happenings around the office. Stay professional, but by letting your customers see the human side of your business, they will feel a greater connection and loyalty to your company.
Encourage the needs and questions of all of your consumers. Naturally, you should respond to any questions asked of your business on your Facebook page, but what if you took that next step? Try to anticipate the needs of your customers by adding apps and features to your company’s page. Try an events page, so that customers can access upcoming sales information or special dates for your business. Add a consumer email app, so that you can increase your mailing list. If you are feeling especially adventurous, try a Static HTML app, where you can add your own content that can link to your website, emails and anywhere else your heart desires.
Keeping your information fresh and staying as up-to-date as possible with the ever-changing world of social media is crucial to success. Follow these tips and you’re sure to get a few more fans and keep the ones you already have happy. For more information or to like the San Diego BBB, visit our Facebook page.
This article is sponsored by 
