So. You’ve opened a Facebook account for your business … what now? How to capitalise on the “likes” your posts are getting and translate them into serious brand-building and – hopefully – clients and leads? Remember that Facebook, while fun, is a marketing function and you need to work at it. Daily.
Marlon Shevelew, an award-winning and well-known rental law attorney, takes an hour every day to work on his marketing – an hour in which he could be doing billable work but which he considers too important to miss out on. Over his morning coffee, he personally welcomes and greets everyone who has liked his Facebook page since the last time he checked it. He says this is an easy and quick way to start building a real relationship; to make the online experience real.
Marlon is also a big fan of LinkedIn, which he uses to publish longer articles and other, more serious, content. He says: “While Facebook is all about instant gratification, LinkedIn is a professional platform that allows you to communicate with industry and potential clients in a fitting manner.”
(Go here to sign up for a great guide to LinkedIn for business; we’ll chat more about it in a future issue.)
And then there’s the matter of posting frequency …
In this instance there are two things that you need to balance: creating a presence on Facebook is key and to do so you need to post regualrly – but you don’t want to spam your online friends. You also need to remember that quality beats quantity every time. It’s a tricky act …
Louise, Private Property’s Social Media Manager, uses Facebook’s analytical tools to see when our page gets the most views, and then schedules posts for these optimal times. “Generally, I post four times a day during the week – and interestingly, one of our peak times is in the evening when people are browsing their mobile devices while keeping one eye on the telly. This is a great time to push for engagement!”
She says that Facebook has awesome tools that help you to gauge how popular your posts are, and this feedback will help you to plan your content for the future. And here’s a top-secret-tip just for you: “One of the easiest ways to generate engagement is to invite comment, and the easiest way to do this is to give your peeps the option to like something. Post the kitchens from three of your listings and ask people to tell you which one they like best – it works every time!”