This second part of our Facebook Success Summit Series addresses the challenge of creating a thriving Facebook community and consistently engaging fans. We gathered strategies from sessions by social media consultants Andrea Vahl and Amy Porterfield, and Intel social media strategist Ekaterina Walter.
In the past year, businesses have become more active on Facebook than ever before. However, it is vital for businesses to realize that Facebook is most effective when the conversation is flowing both to and from fans. After setting the goals of your social strategy, several steps can be followed to optimize your Facebook page and foster conversation flow. The following categories outline a few of the recommended methods to increasing and engaging your fan base:
Build Trust
Creating a community in which your fans can interact with each other and your brand not only builds trust, it also keeps the conversation about you and your products fresh. In order to maintain a safe environment for all users, develop a “Terms of Use” tab that lets everyone know the rules of conduct for your community, then stick to it. You have every right to remove belligerent or profane comments from your page, but remember that building trust by handling non-offensive negative comments in a timely and respectful manner can have a significant and positive impact on brand perception. Also, let your fans speak for you in response to negative comments; if you have created strong relationships with certain fans, they will likely come to your defense if a crisis ever arises.
Foster Community
Posts to your Facebook page should be educational and intriguing. Though you may operate on Facebook with the end goal of increasing sales, remember that a social network is just that: a place for people to interact and communicate with each other in social ways. Post yes/no, fill in the blank or multiple choice questions that invite your fans to participate. Recognize influential fans by reposting their content or giving a shout out to a “Fan of the Week.” Acknowledge when a fan posts something interesting by “Liking” or replying to their post with input and questions of your own. Follow up is crucial, and not just for negative comments; people are far more likely to begin and continue interacting with your brand if they see that fan comments are heard and valued. Also, be sure to “Like” other brand pages for complementary businesses. For example , interacting with important news sources in your industry will help keep you informed and can increase awareness for your brand through the fan base of the page you’ve “Liked.”
Create a Management Strategy
The tone and voice of your Facebook page should be both consistent and personable. To aid in the management process, create a team of individuals who are aware of your social strategy and the best practices you want to employ. To humanize your posts, consider having a “Meet the Admins” tab and encouraging your staff to sign their posts. Determine if and how you will use Facebook advertisements to promote your content and ensure that calls to actions are used not only in ads, but also in posts that you make. Remember that your social strategy is a combination of all social media outlets, from your blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. To support this, be sure to create a strategy that recognizes the interconnectedness of your social platforms and develops collaborative content.
The above recommendations provide a solid foundation to your Facebook engagement strategy. Specific situations and goal sets will require variations to your approach, but beginning with the pillars of trust, community and management will set you on the right track for Facebook success.
Stay tuned for our next Facebook Success Summit topic: Dynamic Facebook Tabs.
