5 Tips for Effective Facebook Posts

Maintaining a company Facebook page is not always as easy as it sounds. Often, we assume that simply having a Facebook site for our company is enough. And while having a Facebook page for your business is certainly better than not having one, it’s not going to be very effective if you don’t approach your page with the right strategy.

Here are some simple tips to help you make the most out of your company’s Facebook page:

1. Know your audience: Before you do anything else, put yourself into the minds of the people you are speaking to. In the beginning, you'll basically be talking to people you already know -- your friends, relatives and current clients. Eventually, your page will get big enough that you'll (hopefully) be talking to potential clients. Who are those people? What do they want? What do they need? What drives them crazy in their everyday lives and how can you help them? That's the stuff you should be writing about.

2. Be Useful: OK, this isn’t all that different from the one above, but it’s worth reiterating. You want to HELP people. Give them useful information. You’re not there just to promote yourself all the time. Always try to think about what you audience would appreciate knowing about.

3. Be Personal: It’s not only OK to share about yourself, it’s actually a good thing. People want to know who the person is behind the keyboard. Go ahead and post pictures of yourself, tell us when it’s your birthday, talk about what the weather is like where you are, etc. Just because it’s a business page doesn’t mean it needs to be aloof. Be human!

4. Use a lot of photos: Facebook’s currency is photos. People love ‘em, and posts that have them will get more engagement. One of the best things you can do to increase the number of photos on your page is to pay for a subscription to a stock photo site, such as istockphoto.com. That way, you can post professional-looking images, and if you’re graphically inclined, you can even add quotes on top of the photos.

5. Ask questions: Back in the day, social media was a tool for having a dialogue with people. Used properly, it's a great way to form a connection with your audience and have a virtual conversation, not a one-way shouting match. One great way to make your readers feel more connected to your brand is to ask them questions and get their input on topics. Warning: If you don't have a big enough fan-base, this strategy is going to be a dud. Start first by advertising your page and paying for boosted posts so you have a wide enough audience that people will start responding.

---