Facebook For Business Tips

      10 Powerful Tips for Using Facebook for Business

No matter the business that you're in, Facebook continues to play an outsized role in marketing and connecting with your customers. Yet keeping up with the constant algorithmic changes to Facebook can seem like a daunting task.

While the basics of setting up a page and posting to your business page are relatively straightforward, there are a lot of nuances to managing your page that could help you make the most of your Facebook presence. Here are 10 powerful ways to make your page more robust and engaging.

1. Get a catchy URL

 A key component of branding is consistency. As such, you should be sure you select a @ username that reflects your business. Of course, your ideal pick may not be available, so think of ways that you can get as close to your brand as possible. If you run the Acme Widget Company, maybe you could go with @acmewidgetco. Or even better, @acmewidget.

Remember that whatever you pick will be a part of your custom Facebook URL — shorter is better so it can fit on business cards or other promotional materials.

2. Pick the right template 

While Facebook keeps a pretty consistent look across the entire interface, you do have some freedom in how your page looks. You can choose from several templates that have certain tweaks to better match the type of page you have: professional services, business, shopping, standard, venues, politicians, and restaurants and cafes. The differences are subtle, but they're important. For example, the restaurants and cafes template places images higher so that you can show off the venue and feature menu items. The professional services option puts a prominent Call Now button at the top so potential clients can reach out to you right away. Spend some time experimenting here to see which is the best fit for your page.

3. Tweak the tabs

 You have quite a bit of control over how the layout of your page is created to fit the needs of your particular business. Make sure you've optimized all the right dials and settings that Facebook offers. For example, you'll find that the tabs on the side of the page can serve as quick stops for particular actions. Click "manage tabs" to put the photos, events or other items in a more prominent location. Also, if there are some tabs you don't use, you're able to get rid of those.

4. Pick the right call-to-action button

Facebook offers a range of call-to-action buttons that live at the top of your business's page. You have a few different choices, so pick the one that makes the most sense for your business:

• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Use App
• Play Game
• Shop Now
• Sign Up
• Watch Video
• 
  

5. Go with native videos

According to Buffer, one of the top methods for getting the attention of your audience is native videos. The company found some slightly better metrics for uploading your own video instead of embedding it from YouTube or Vimeo.

The beauty of videos is they're so easy to produce now — all you need is a smartphone and a few minutes of light editing. Even if you're not a professional video creator, it's worth trying your hand at it.

6. Stay in touch

Your Facebook page can be a portal for potential customers to reach out to you. A very effective way is through Facebook Messenger. If you add a call-to-action button, you'll get messages in the Messenger app just as if they were from one of your contacts. Visitors to your page will also notice how responsive you are, which will leave them with a good impression of how you treat customers.

7. Create targeted Facebook posts

Facebook has rolled out a number of new tools for directing your content to a specific audience. While it will take some time to dig into the dashboard, you may find success if you are willing to target your content at characteristics more attuned to your potential customer base. For example, think about geographic location, age groups and other interest targeting. Marketer Jon Loomer has some more detailed suggestions if you want to dive in.

8. Spend some money

To really push through the firehose of content on Facebook, it's going to require spending money on some advertisements. Facebook freely admits that organic reach has been declining, placing the blame on the vast user base that keeps expanding. While you can make traction without ads, they're still an excellent way to gain exposure that you can't get without the extra juice from the Facebook ads program.

9. Follow the algorithm changes

One of the main challenges is staying on top of how often Facebook makes tweaks to the algorithm. It's the nature of the social network, as the team's engineers and designers are always trying to deliver what is deemed the best experience for the users. The Facebook Business site is one of many good resources for staying on top of such changes. As recently as January, there was a new post outlining several measures worth exploring.

10. Always experiment

Successful promotion on Facebook is a perpetually moving target. As you may see from the most recent algorithm tweaks, what works at one time may not last very long. Be willing to dive into the numerous metrics available to you, while also keeping an eye on good design and content practices. Facebook is a behemoth, and one that you must master if you are to stay relevant.

Credit: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9759-facebook-for-business-tips.html