May 10th, 2013 
Guest Blogger 
Posted in 
Facebook can become a powerful marketing, networking, and retention tool for businesses if it is used properly. If you are trying to build your brand’s presence on the web and target a new group, you will need both a professional website and a social media profile on a platform like Facebook. Social media marketing involves a lot more than just creating a profile, writing content for the “About Us” section, and uploading a photo of your brand logo as your profile picture. If you want to utilize Facebook properly, you need to manage the page properly.
Post Original Content Regularly
You will not attract a lot of likes or fans if you are not involved in the community. In fact, potential followers will not follow a company’s page where content is not posted to the page on a regular basis. Posting photos, announcements, product updates, or videos to your profile page will benefit your company in several ways. Not only will you gain more followers, you will also improve your search engine rankings for your website which will lead to more traffic and more online visibility.
Dealing with Bad Press
If you have a Facebook account, you need to be prepared to deal with complaints or negative commentary. One of the great things about social platforms from the consumer standpoint is that they have the freedom to express their opinion. This freedom can also be a disadvantage for companies who do not manage their profiles or take action to keep a positive reputation. If you disable comments and posts on your page, you may give your audience the impression that you are scared to hear what customers really have to say.
You also miss out on the benefits of finding out which customers and fans actually stay engaged. You should have a plan in place to deal with complaints. Do not make excuses, and acknowledge the customer’s feedback. Turn this into an opportunity to offer solutions and you can show your clients that your primary goal is to make the customer happy. Complaints can have positive outcomes, as long as you address them proactively and do not get them on a regular basis.
Do More than Just Promote Your Business
You do not like dating someone who only talks about themselves, and you probably do not want to do business with a company that does the same. Do more than just talk about product launches or what makes you the best in the business. While promotion is important, if you want to really engage your audience you should start a conversation by asking questions that will interest your targeted niche. If you are in the music industry, you might want to ask which musicians people like more and why. If you are in the home improvement industry, you might want to ask people which renovations they think will earn the greatest return on investment. Ask a question and they will answer.
If you take these steps to manage your Facebook page, you can turn your page into a treasure chest. Focus on making your content interesting, informative, and fun, and take the focus away from your company. Be sure that you do not ignore complaints and face the music when people are negative. With fresh, original content, you will get more views, more traffic, and more engagement.
This article was contributed by Sheldon Armstrong, a techie who loves sharing his knowledge of Social Media so you and your company can execute your campaigns better. He writes this on behalf of What to Do Media, a Hawaii Agency that understands the web at an even greater level. As a Digital Agency that’s dedicated to delivering the ultimate web solutions, they’re sure to give you and your company the best service in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest.
