So you’ve got your Facebook Business Page all set up. Your fan base is growing, and you’re reaching more and more people with each post. What happens when you hit a plateau and stop gaining fans? Or even worse, start losing them?
While building your fan base is gratifying, losing your fan base is the worst! There are no rules carved in stone as far as how you should run your Facebook business page, but there are definitely some general guidelines that you should be aware of.
Need some etiquette tips for your Facebook Business Page? Read on..
I manage 10+ Facebook business pages, and each one is different. Things that may work on one page don’t work on all of the pages. One of the keys to a successful social media presence is knowing your audience. If your business is a pet store, or a veterinarian office, the majority of the content that you post should revolve around animals. One of the most popular pages that I manage is for Adirondack.net. The fans of this page enjoy the outdoors and outdoor photography. They love to share photos they take while in the Adirondacks. I know that the fans enjoy outdoor photography, so that’s what I give them.
Follow these basic guidelines and you’ll continue to build your fan base, and keep the fans that you already have!
1.) Respond To Your Fans & Answer Their Questions
You don’t have to respond to every single comment left on your Facebook page, but if a fan has a question that goes unanswered, they will begin to lose faith in your brand. You may not want to sort through hundreds of comments looking for these important inquiries, but you have to. This is what the social media scene is all about. Before social media, there was no way for your customers to communicate with you (and you with them). With the availability of these tools, you can gain a ton of valuable feedback from your fans. TIP: activating the “Show ‘Message’ Button” in the Manage Permissions settings can help sort out questions from comments. Most fans will comment on posts, but if they really want to ask your business a question, they’ll send you a direct message (but only if you allow them to).
2.) Be Careful Of Your Tone, And Overuse Of Punctuation.
It’s not easy to judge the tone of voice when reading a message online. However, when your fans ask you a question on your Facebook page, they expect a human to answer the question. Responding with the generic “We apologize for your inconvenience” won’t go nearly as far as saying “We are sorry”. If a fan leaves a compliment or is praising your service/product, a simple “Thanks!” will go a long way. Be careful though, a “THANK YOU!!!!!!!!” can come off as annoying, and will probably be marked as spam by Facebook.
3.) Don’t Post Too Much Content
If you are constantly posting updates, there is no doubt that you will annoy a portion of your fans. One or two posts per day is enough to get noticed. A third post can be crucial if some big update needs to be released, or if there is breaking news. Remember, a fan isn’t really a fan if they have to block your updates.
4.) Be Active
When I say 2-3 posts per day, I mean updates that you are sending out to all of your fans. You should certainly be actively engaged in conversations that are taking place on your page, as well as on the competition’s page. If there is a discussion happening on a page that applies to your business, chime in! You can offer your opinion and maybe sway some loyalty your way, and at worst – gain some exposure!
5.) Share Content That Your Fans Upload To The Page
This lets them know that you actually read what they’re writing. If you share a photo once a while, this will encourage your fans to upload more photos in the future. Everybody loves to see their content being featured!
Here are a few things you should avoid doing on your Facebook Business Page.
- Don’t reply to all questions/comments with the same statement. A fan will only read “Thanks for the comment” so many times before they get tired of it.
- Don’t reply to a negative comment with a long rant about why the fan is wrong. Chances are good that your rant WON’T go viral, and you’ll just look like a jerk.
- Don’t try to sell sell sell all the time. Share content from other pages that your fans might find interesting. Ask questions about your industry.
Do you have any tips that work well for your page? Let us know.
