A recent small business survey suggests businesses are increasing their use of social media. They are also seeing increasing return on investment. The survey also shows small businesses continue to struggle with maintaining their Facebook management. This is despite the fact that, at 1 billion members, the Facebook audience remains the largest in social media.
Below, we’ve collected 12 Facebook management tips and tools. We hope they help you make the most of of your Facebook efforts.
12 Tips and Tools for Better Facebook Management
Embrace Basic Techniques for Creating Customer Engagement ~ Capture Commerce
SEO professional Tim Shivers interviews Meghan Nichols of the online seasonal store, The Jolly Christmas Shop. Nichols explains some of the basic techniques small businesses should use to get engagement on Facebook, and recommends sharing information about your products or services to get fans excited about them. She also suggests giving customers fun ways to interact by posting contests and games, encouraging your audience to give you feedback. Making sure your Facebook page remains active is important.
Give Your Facebook Page a Few Extra Frills ~ CorpNet
Blogger and social media marketer Sian Phillips shares some additional features you can add to your Facebook management. Adding a vanity url, more photos and apps makes for a more attractive page. Learn how to set your page apart from others where owners have clearly taken a lot less time. Also use simple techniques like scheduling posts ahead and promoting and sharing “link only” updates. These steps improve your productivity and get your page better visibility.
Use Even Negative Comments to Build Your Brand ~ Social Brothers
Social media consultants Nicholas and Trevor Kohlhepp share how one of their clients, a dog groomer, responded to a negative comment circulated on Facebook. She published her side of the story, sharing it with the community, eventually successfully addressing the complaint. The client’s efforts got the offending comment removed from social channels. Meanwhile, the good will she generated through her thoughtful response won her a 200 percent increase in traffic and two new clients, the Kohlhepp brothers said.
Put a True Dollar Value on Your Facebook Fan ~ You’re the Boss
Michael Scissons, chief executive of social media marketing firm Syncapse, says his company has put a true dollar value on the average Facebook fan. It’s about $174.17, says Scissons. He tells blogger Gene Marks any small business can do the same. Scissons advises business owners start by considering the amount of spending a fan has done on a product or service over the past twelve months. Consider loyalty and purchasing intent into the future. Also evaluate the likelihood of their recommending the brand to others. Scissons also makes some other suggestions to help you assess the value of your Facebook fans.
Make Decisions About Your Goals and Target Audience ~ The Social Media Hat
Web developer and small business owner Mike Allton says it’s time to rethink Facebook for your business. He points out that changes in Facebook’s business model and EdgeRank algorithm make it more useful to some businesses than others. This doesn’t mean you should abandon your Facebook efforts, of course. But you should be realistic about how you use the site for your business. Allton says emphasis has shifted away from profiles used in networking. He says focus is now on promoted posts and the increased reach possible through a paid marketing campaign. This may make Facebook more ideal for B2C rather than B2B marketers, he speculates.
Use the New Facebook Reply Button for Brand Management ~ V3
Erica McClenny, senior vice president of client services at social media management firm Expion, says Facebook’s new Reply Button is important for managing your brand. It also helps create deeper engagement with fans and customers. McClenny says the Reply Button allows you to respond directly to a specific comment. It creates an individual thread and arranges comments based on relevance. McClenny says use of the Reply Button will create a new layer of insight for marketers to see what kind of comments generate the most responses.
Use Mobile Layout to Monitor and Manage on the Go ~ Facebook Studio
It’s certainly possible to program updates ahead of time in an effort to be more efficient at Facebook management. But the social media world does operate 24/7. In order to engage with fans and customers or even update your page while traveling, mobile tools are helpful. Facebook’s latest mobile layout has been designed with the consumer in mind. But Facebook page owners also use it for their own Facebook management from mobile devices, the company says.
Don’t Forget About Facebook Home ~ The Huffington Post
Some have dismissed the new Facebook app for Android. But Andrew Cherwenka, CEO and co-founder of Authintic, says marketers should be asking what’s in it for them. Cherwenka’s firm provides personalization data for retailers. He says Home will provide brands with larger audiences in the short run as the app increases the amount of content Facebook users consume. Long-run, Cherwenka says Home will provide another way to reach Facebook users with targeted advertising.
Include Facebook Local Search in Your Marketing Strategy ~ AdWeek
Facebook’s new mobile and desktop business pages let you boost your visibility in local search. Tim Peterson says small businesses are already using local online marketing on Yelp and Google. Facebook’s updated pages include more prominent check-in and click-to-call buttons. They also feature an enlarged map and starred rating box for local businesses. Peterson writes brands should focus on increasing local social interaction to improve visibility in local search on Facebook, too.
Take Advantage of Cost-Per-Action Bidding ~ Marketing Land
Facebook recently introduced another marketing opportunity for businesses seeking to boost their social marketing campaigns. Greg Sterling gives an overview of bidding on ads and actions connected with page likes, offer claims and link clicks to product profile pages. Eventually, Sterling reports, all Facebook advertising will be available as cost-per-action, giving all businesses a better way to measure success.
Sign Up for Circl to Measure Conversion From Social to Foot Traffic ~ TechCrunch
Founders of new tech startup Circl say they can track a customer from the minute they engage socially to the minute they walk in your front door. That means better Facebook management. Here’s how it works. Circl lets you make offers on your Facebook or other social networks. It lets customers get that message forwarded to their smartphone via email or text. They then click on the text at point-of-sale, allowing you to measure conversion.
Use new Salesforce software to run your Facebook campaign. ~ Bloomberg
Salesforce calls the software Social.com. It allows marketers to create campaigns for the Web and mobile devices using Facebook, Twitter and other analytics data. This allows marketers to track ad performance over many platforms, adding new value to Facebook and other social media advertising.
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The new CPA bidding model in Facebook is interesting and I would add that paid promotion of your best content can deliver a great ROI if done correctly. Facebook is making serious strides with their paid offerings.
Hi Shawn,
Really great tips and thanks for sharing them with the BizSugar community. These go well beyond the basic time worn suggestions about getting your brand established.
Aira Bongco
I love the idea about the negative comment. I have not thought about it that way. I did not think that you can actually create a viral story out of it. Interesting.
Aira Bongco
Here I am writing about social media marketing when I found this. Having a Facebook page looks simple but it can be quite difficult if you are serious in fully utilizing the platform for promotion. With that, you need all the help you can get.