By Dylan Beach

You might remember a few weeks ago we touched on how to effectively use Instagram

This week we take a look at the other website / app that has become a ‘must use’ for any brand and retailer. Facebook. We scroll through it, update it and read it on average almost 14 times a day.

Just to reiterate how important this form of communication is for your business lets just take a look at a few stats recently released by Facebook.

  • 1.23 billion people log onto Facebook daily active users.
  • There are 1.74 billion mobile active users.
  • 1.23 billion people log onto Facebook daily active users.
  • Age 25 to 34, at 29.7% of users, is the most common age demographic.
  • Highest traffic occurs mid-week between 1 to 3 pm.

So you might ask, how do you use Facebook marketing correctly. We’ve devised a few simple tips to make the most of your business Facebook page.

  • Ensure the content that you post to your followers is visually strong, useful and relevant; fans can see straight through any attempt at blatant advertising.
  • Be timely and plan your posts around what is happening in your region ie: Events, weather or news. For example creating content and posting relevant posts around a WSL event in Australia, or if your coming up towards a long hot streak ( like much of Australia just had ) a few posts reminding customers of some warm water wax, sunglasses or new season bathers might be relevant.Screen Shot 2017-02-16 at 10.21.24 am
  • Many businesses and people hate negative feedback and complaints. But a great way to connect with your customers is to ask questions to encourage debate and conversation, but remember to reply! Be prepared for positive and negative comments, just don’t take them personally. Negative feedback is not necessarily a bad thing – it’s about how you handle it. Don’t censor everything at first glance, think about how you can use their feedback and learn from it.
  • This brings us to our next point. Be human – have a laugh, have a joke and be willing to admit a mistake if you’ve made one. People love this and will respond.
  • Be wary of the frequency of posts on your page – one well-planned post per day is enough. Make sure that these posts are consistent with your store or brand, and importantly your content must be useful and interesting.
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    (Image source: www.empireave.com/features/featured/surf-brands-on-facebook)

     

  • Think about the time you are posting – morning posts catch people on their way to work, lunch time posts catch people when they’re on a break and late afternoon catches people on their commute home. Use your Facebook analytics to find out when people are engaged in your posts. Its a simple and free way to maximise your reach.
  • Tag other pages on your Facebook post if you want it to be seen and shared by other accounts. If your promoting a product, tag the brands in there, if your promoting an event your running, then tag some riders or people involved.
  • Hashtags don’t work as well on Facebook, so don’t over-use them (maximum of one to two).

So there you have it. Social media is one of the most important tools in marketing your business or brand these days. We hope these simple yet very effective tips on how to use your Facebook page effectively. Remember the best thing about it, is that it is free, it just takes a little bit of thought and effort to maximise it.