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If you’re an entrepreneur but are not tech savvy, social media may be overwhelming. There are so many different platforms to be on that can be used to share your products and services, but somewhere along the way you get lost in the confusion.

Social sharing is an important practice for your business to pick up. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 said that social media is important for their business and that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their business. When it comes to launching your online presence, Facebook is a good place to start. With more than 1.4 billion monthly active users, the platform gives you the opportunity to reach your target market, with the right content and targeting.

1. Make Your Page Recognizable. It is important to make sure your cover photo and profile picture are easily recognizable by your existing customers as well as your potential customers. Keep the profile picture simple, such as your logo, or a headshot, if you are a solo entrepreneur. Your cover photo will take up most of the space on the top of your page, so choose a photo that is high quality and sticks out. You can also put links in your photo captions directing the customer to your website or 411 listing.
2. Add a Call-To-Action. Besides having links in your captions, you should add in a call-to-action (CTA) button to your page. Facebook gives you the option to choose between seven pre-made CTA buttons on your cover photo, and where the CTA button will take you. With this you’ll be able to directly draw customers to your website, as well as track how many people are interacting with your button.
3. Customize Your About Section. The information in your about section is the first thing people click on to learn more about your company and get a sense of what your page is like. This can be one of the deciding factors to get your customers to purchase your products or services. The about section should be brief and descriptive: who you are, what you do, what you are offering, and why they should choose you. You should also consider adding company milestones, such as the day your company was founded and major events you attended or hosted.
4. Post Photos and Videos to Your Timeline. A study by Quintly has shown that photos, followed by videos, are the most engaging types of content on Facebook. The more quality photos and videos you post, the more people will be interacting with your company. Be sure to focus on quality, don’t sacrifice the post just to push something out. It is also great to keep your ‘Photos’ and ‘Videos’ apps full and up to date so that people can take a look at your products and services.
5. Keep Your Other Content up to Date. Make sure to spend time on content other than images and videos. Too much of something good, could be something bad. Switch up your content to increase the chance of reaching your audience by posting statuses, offers, and sharing links to articles or things you find interesting, not all of which need to generate leads. Focus on engagement, ask questions and invite users to comment, like and share your content.
6. Post at the Right Time. When posting content, note how frequently you post and at what time of day. Facebook often groups together posts that are posted in close proximity, hiding them unless the user clicks on it. There are also peak times to post on Facebook when the most amounts of users are online. It is good to experiment with posting times and the frequency of those posts and checking Facebook Insights to tailor your strategy accordingly.
7. Schedule Your Posts for Later. Running a business is time consuming already. Make social media easier for yourself by taking advantage of external publishing tools such as Buffer that allow you schedule posts for the future. You can also make use of Facebook’s targeting abilities and segment updates for specific audiences, such as gender, age, location, language, interests etc.
8. Pin Posts. As you continue to post updates on Facebook, your older content gets pushed down. If you want a certain posts to stay at the top above all other content, you can choose to pin the post so people will always be engaging with that post first.
9. Monitor and Respond to Messages and Comments. You should try to interact with your Facebook fans on a regular basis. You don’t have to respond to all comments but people love to feel that they are being heard. Try and respond to comments in a timely fashion, and aim to create a relationship with the person. You can also opt in for users to privately message you to make it easier for them, but only if you have a fast response time.
   
10. Promote Your Page. In order to grow your page you must promote it. Invite your customers to check it out and share it with their friends. You can also add buttons to your website and emails, making it easier to access.
11. Boost Your Content. The point of creating a Facebook page is to gain exposure on your content, so it’s important to spend money on Facebook ads. You should set a budget for page ads, boosted posts and news feed ads to better market your company.

Connect with more customers in your community—add your business to 411.ca for FREE

SHARE WITH OTHERS