This week we are tackling *drum roll please* FACEBOOK. As we mentioned before, in today’s day and age, having a digital footprint is an important part of running a business. Facebook is one of the older social media platforms that still exists and currently has more users on its platform than any other social media with over two billion users. Here are our six best tips for ultimate success for your company’s Facebook Page.

1) Separation of accounts - Having a personal Facebook and one for your business is imperative. This separation allows you to keep your business and pleasure on its own platform helping maintain the brand image you desire. If someone is looking for your brand and there’s only a personal page, it skews the perception of what your business actually is. Instead of accidentally falling upon your personal photos and content, they will find the who, what, when, where, and how of the brand.

2) Advertisements - Running ads helps you reach a bigger audience than your current page followers. You can hone in on the type of audience and the locations you want to target to make sure you are reaching the right crowd. If your company is for female entrepreneurs, you probably don’t want to target teenagers or people who have retired, instead of focusing on the main demographic. Ads allow you to put your brand directly in front of the audience you need to reach. This ultimately leads to more page views, engagement, and awareness of your brand.

3) Post Consistently - This is a golden rule across all social media platforms. Figure out a schedule that works best for you and your team, and stick to it. Posting consistently gives your followers something to get excited about. Do a little research to find out what your platform peak times are to maximize engagement opportunities. This is when followers are most active, so the more comments, likes, and shares means more exposure for your brand. And the more content means the more relationship building with your target audiences.

4) Track Analytics - Another vital part of tracking what works and what doesn’t is through your stats. It aids in figuring out what schedule is best for your followers and what type of content and topics work. If you post at 2 p.m. and get 15K likes then post at 8 p.m. and get 150K likes, you learn through your analytics that a later post is better for your brand. It helps you better understand your audience in the digital space. This can also benefit your strategic planning to leverage your brand among the competition.

5) Engagement - This is a huge part of growing your business. Make sure to engage on your platform posts and engage with others on relevant pages. This means if someone comments on a post make sure to try and get back to whoever has commented as often as you can. Use verbiage that acts as a call to action, such as asking questions or asking the public to join the conversation. At the end of the day if someone feels seen and special they are more likely to continue to engage with your brand and will feel more inclined to share or talk about your brand to others.

6) Time Management - You might be reading this article thinking to yourself, "How am I supposed to run my business, maintain all my personal and social needs, make time to live a normal life, and make sure I am posting on social media the ‘right’ way?" We get it. Life is overwhelming and throwing something as time-consuming as social media in the mix can seem unreal, unreasonable, and unjust. Here is a little secret: either hire someone to run it for you or manage your time the right way. It’s simple, there are many platforms out there that specialize in social media scheduling to choose from - our personal favorites are Later, UNUM, and Sprout Social. Each platform works differently than the other, but almost all of them have a free trial so you can see what works best for you before spending money on it. Spend a few hours a week preparing and scheduling out content on one of the scheduling apps, and you won’t have to worry about it throughout your week. This allows you to focus on engagement whenever you have a second to check your phone, whether you are winding down from the day or have 15 minutes to spare in the morning before starting the day.

At the end of the day, Facebook is an easy way to broaden the audience you reach. Remember to stay on brand and remember who you are trying to reach, but also take into consideration that this is supposed to be the FUN way of growing your brand. Don’t stress over it! Once you get the hang of it, you will realize how great it is for you and how easy it is to manage in no time. As always, thanks for reading and make sure to reach out if you have any questions.