When you compare the work of amateur painters to those of the experts, there are tell-tale signs of beginner tendencies that separate abstract professionalism from the “I’m still learning this” crowd. Sure, painting is a subjective art form, but it’s easy to note a beginner’s mistakes. For instance, imagine looking at a painting and seeing that all of the shadows are cast in the wrong direction. This intangible, yet noticeable facet can be used to define social media prowess as well, particularly in the realm of one of social media’s most widely used business tools — the Facebook business page.
Just like art, a well-run Facebook page should welcome deeper consideration, but also provide everything the viewer needs with a simple glance. When developing a strong social presence on Facebook, understanding of the standard mechanics — the questions that your audience need answered — is what separates well-executed pages from their rarely-noticed, lousy counterparts. The following guidelines will help you get new visitors to take notice, keep your visitors intrigued, and your existing audience engaged:
Relevance – Who?
Your target audience, the personas that make up your customer-base, should be the foundation of all marketing tactics, especially online. When it comes to your Facebook page, a cursory glance at your page should indicate relevance to your target audience, without much of a stretch.
Consider how the capabilities of the platform allow you to connect with your target audience while making sure your page content aligns with your business goals.
Are you trying to indicate expertise or educate your audience? Is your goal to build new relationships and community, or generate traffic and increase sales?
Facebook is capable of each of these in some capacity, but identifying your specific direction will save you valuable time, and result in more positive results if they are considered before development of page content.
Type & Tone – What?
With relevance understood and the target audience identified, the next step is determining the type of content that you are going to use to reach said audience. Demographics and user behavior may provide a strong starting point for choosing a specific medium for your content. For instance, a millennial audience may be more inclined to respond to video content, and more wary of sales-oriented calls-to-action (CTAs) in the accompanying copy.
Language will also assist in breaking down community and sales barriers. Does your audience frequently use slang or shorthand in the way they speak? Do they respond to formal copy, or an enthusiastic tone? Matching your audience’s preferred communication style will remove detours preventing them from reaching your end destination — brand awareness or a sale.
Cadence – When?
With the “who?” and “what?” of your page established, we reach the step where most Facebook page curators immediately jump in: the “when?” Contrary to popular belief, posting every day, multiple times a day is not the way to run a successful page. Inundating your page with constant content saps audience engagement, and threatens to annoy your followers who are only interested in an occasional update.
Less is more when it comes to the frequency of posting.
Instead of quantity, focus instead on consistency. As any successful social media manager will tell you, maintaining a consistent posting schedule that allows your audience to work in a routine expectation allows for a higher expected reach, and more of an opportunity to focus on the content’s quality.
Another factor to consider is the 30/60/10 rule, or the “Golden Ratio for Social Marketing” from RallyVerse, which suggests that the content mix on your Facebook page should be split into three categories:
- Owned media (30%): which represents the photos, videos, blogs, and organic content created by your business
- Curated media (60%): which indicates links to articles, infographics, videos, etc. that come from relevant and reliable sources
- Promotional media (10%): representing the inherent advertising placed on your page for discounts, new offers, demo requests, etc.
Sticking to a social media cadence like this will encourage your audience to return to the page and engage, as they won’t be bombarded by advertising-related material during each visit.
Engagement – Why?
One of the primary reasons businesses develop a Facebook page is to encourage digital engagement. According to influencer agency MediaKix, social media audiences are spending an average of 50 minutes per day on just the Facebook suite of apps alone.
So how does your business capitalize on a some of that 50 minute time frame? By creating a diverse content mix that encourages engagement. Before posting content to your page, consider asking why your audience might find this content valuable, and why they might consider commenting or sharing. If no reasonable answer occurs, try a different content piece.
Insights – How?
Facebook offers Business Managers the ability to see the analytical data from their page through Facebook Insights. The most critical factor in determining digital marketing success is measurability. With the ability to look through your content at a glance and find your highest-performing posts, engagement, and boosts in page likes all work to inform constant adjustments on your page.
Maintaining this fluidity by adapting your page to encourage engagement will naturally push your Facebook page in a more positive direction. Insights allows for social media and business managers to identify the most successful content types, the best times to post, and more.
The only standard question we didn’t cover here is the “where” aspect, as in: “Where can I find more information about Facebook page management?” or “Where can I find a trustworthy marketing partner to help curate my page?” Fortunately, the answer to both of these is here!
At Mountain Mojo Group, we are known for our social media expertise, and we love to share our knowledge. If you’re curious how these tips apply directly to your business, give us a call. We’d love to hear more about your business’s marketing goals.
Mountain Mojo Group is located in Flagstaff, Williams, the White Mountains, and Page, Arizona and provides top-quality marketing solutions and design! Our team works with small businesses all across the state of Arizona, providing a variety of marketing and design services including, social media management, photography, videography, strategy, web design, graphic design, SEO, and paid search engine marketing. Our team of creatives is ready to tackle your next marketing project. Contact our team today at (928) 440-5301 or stop by one of our offices located throughout northern Arizona.