One of the many ways to increase your online presence is to create a business fan page on Facebook. Your fan page can help your business in many ways, such as by building quality backlinks to and from your websites, and allowing you to personally interact with fans and followers.
It is important to remember that having a Facebook profile is not enough: you must also be active, and focused on building your fan base while generating comments and likes. Below are just a few reasons why being “liked” on Facebook is good for your business.
It Builds Credibility
When a prospective client or customer hears your name and finds a link to your Facebook page — or to websites that link to your Facebook page — they are looking for a way to assess your credibility within a matter of seconds. If a prospective client or customer sees that you have only a handful of likes, they may determine that your products or services are less credible, popular, or valuable than your competitor’s. If you have thousands, or tens of thousands, of likes, these people may instead view it as an indicator that you are well established and respected.
It Encourages More Invites
When one of your fans or followers likes your page or one of your posts, they will be immediately prompted to invite or share your information with their Facebook friends. The more likes you accrue, the more potential you have for your fans and followers to spread the word about your business, products, and services. To help determine the success of your posts, and the success of your online marketing, Facebook sends all business fan pages weekly analytics reports so they can track their progress. This will help you determine what is working well, and what areas of improvement you might want to focus on.
A Few Easy Ways To Encourage More Likes
In order to obtain more likes, you need to encourage more activity on your Facebook page. Below are a few ways to keep your activity consistent, and to encourage more likes, comments, and shares.
Be Consistent: One of the biggest mistakes many business owners make when adding a Facebook page is a lack of consistency. While you don’t want to over post and become annoying, you should post to your page multiple times a week. Regular posting encourages repeat viewers.
Add Value: When constructing your weekly posts, make sure you provide information that adds value to your fans. Adding value doesn’t necessarily mean posting solely about yourself: for example, if your company sells fashion accessories, you could post articles linking to fashion magazines that focus on the latest trends, or upcoming fashion events.
Respond To Communication: When your Facebook fans and followers take time to send you a message, share a post, or comment on a post, respond to their communication. This will help them build a personal connection with you, and will keep them more active on your page. The more active they are on your page, the more frequently you will appear in their Facebook feed.
If managing Facebook begins to feel cumbersome, you can use Facebook automation tools that will help make your weekly postings easier and less time consuming.
Byline
Jerry Belfast is a freelance writer specializing in gadgets, social media, mobile phones, computers, accessories (such as the kensington ipad case), futuristic technology and other topics as well.
Image credit goes to Sean MacEntee.