We all want people to like us, right? Now being “liked” is more important than ever… increase your brand and traffic to your website. In this article, we are going to focus on increasing traffic and engagement with your Facebook page.
In Facebook speak, when you connect with a business or organization’s page, you “Like” it (Facebook no longer calls it becoming a “Fan”; for better or worse, everything is “like” now). To get users to “like” your Facebook page, you need to promote your Facebook presence on and off Facebook and request that your customers “like” your page.
Having users “like” your Facebook page is not enough… To make sure they see your posts on an ongoing basis, you must make sure they engage with your page by commenting, sharing, and liking your posts.
Here are some basic methods that top pages use to increase engagement:
- Ask Questions. Posting thought-provoking questions to your wall will encourage comments and increase the chance that your wall posts will be displayed in Friends’ news feed.
- Create valuable promotions that your Friends would want to share with their friends (for example: present this virtual brownie for 30% off a real brownie for the next 3 days), and ask for user input to generate interest and comments.
- Prompt users to check in with Yelp or Foursquare when they are in your store so that their Friends would know that they have visited your business. Most users have these sites synced with their Facebook pages, so their check-in will be posted for all their Friends to see.
In addition, make sure you have added “Like Us on Facebook” links within your newsletter, throughout your business or organization’s website, post signage within your place of business, and include mention of your Facebook presence on your receipts. Wherever is appropriate, you should be prompting users to “like” your page (and to follow you on Twitter, of course, but that’s another post).
The most opportune time to convince customers to “like” your Facebook page is when you delight them. It may be the first time they buy your product or when they earn loyalty points, but whenever that point comes, prompt them to engage with you on Facebook.
Finally, make sure you are checking your analytics. Facebook tells you about your traffic and the engagement data on your posts on a daily basis. This is the most direct way to figure out whether your efforts are paying off.
Creating an engaging Facebook presence does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. The suggestions I’ve made here and in my two previous blog posts should not take too long to implement, and once they’re done, you can focus on creating new, fresh, and engaging content.
Give your users a reason to come back to your page, and you’ll be amazed by the word-of-mouth power of Facebook. Remember, Facebook is a tremendous opportunity for small business growth — as long as it’s done properly.
Do you have success stories, tips, or questions about Facebook pages?
