In today’s online world, having a presence on social media is a must, and Facebook is still the market leader in SM platforms for our industry. But, with the ever-changing algorithms and overwhelming amount of information, how do you utilise this channel effectively to promote your business and engage with your audience?
Here are our Top 10 Tips for managing your Facebook business profile into the future.
- Facebook has flagged a platform move that focuses on privacy and the user experience, and its algorithms will preference content it sees as meeting that aim. Facebook Groups, linked to your business page, can boost your presence on the platform. So, if you don’t have a Facebook Group you should think about starting one. Just a word of warning – group admins can be held responsible for ALL activity within the group and if any content violates the Terms of Service or Facebook’s Community Standards, the group can not only be shut down but also the personal profile and business page associated with the group.
- Facebook has clearly stated it wants meaningful interactions on its page so if your posts don’t do this, they risk not being seen or even being actively suppressed by the algorithm.
- User reactions are key to engagement and negative reactions (ie. the sad or angry face) are perceived by the algorithm as the user having a bad experience and could affect your organic reach.
- Posts that the algorithm will rate highly include those which generate a reaction that is more than a “like”. A “love”, “wow” or “laugh” will tell the algorithm your reader is having a positive experience and this helps with organic reach. Comments also rate highly, as do gif reactions which have the highest ranking.
- But, here’s the kicker – you can’t ask your readers to leave the reaction as Facebook sees this as “engagement baiting”. So all those posts out there asking readers to “comment below” or “send us some love” will be suppressed. Other phrases to avoid include “react”, “share” and “tag”.
- Video content is rated very highly as this encourages the viewer to stay on the platform (and hear your message). But…remember, 85% of users will view your video without sound so you MUST include captions (if you’re talking) or make your video a simple visual which is meaningful without sound.
- Consider your Facebook advertising budget and expectations. No longer are small advertising budgets managing to get the cut-through that is needed. Understanding and utilising targeted advertising and the ability to create and refine target audiences will make or break the effectiveness of your advertising budget.
- We hear through the grapevine that Facebook Live is being phased out of the platform’s algorithm so if this is a service you utilised a lot in your business you will need to find another way to convey your message.
- Think about cross-platform messages and advertising to maximise your reach. Facebook can be very effective but it’s a good idea to look at other avenues as well as other options within Facebook that are not just the News Feed – such as Stories, Groups, Messenger and targeted advertising.
- Limit “selling” messages when you post. Yes, you definitely want sales but if you’re asking too often for people to “buy now” you will be automatically suppressed by the algorithm. This is the same for posts that link to sites away from Facebook as the platform prefers users to stay on its site.
Remember to always be authentic with anything you post – users will engage with you because you offer something that’s unique, different, interesting, informative, helpful, funny, inspiring and thought-provoking.
