How to Optimize your Facebook Page

I can understand if you are reading this wondering how Facebook can help your business especially since you can’t actually sell anything directly through Facebook. It can seem as if spending too much time with Facebook is a lesson in futility, but there’s more to the Facebook phenomenon than meets the eye.

Katrina owns a gourmet products store in Nebraska. She sells jellies, jams, English toffee and multiple other products all from her storefront in a town with fewer than 1,000 people. Yet, she’s found Facebook to be a great place to keep her business journey in front of customers. She might post about what product she is working on for the day or a large order that came in. Many times a friend will post that this reminded them they wanted to get something for a friend or family member. She posts pictures of the work she does and even shares some personal insights into the misadventures of family pets.

Her warm presence invites and captures many visitors who simply love the homespun gentle weaving of a story that somehow invites them to be a part. Her products can now be found in more than 100 regional locations and guests check in to their news feed to find out what Katrina is up to on any given day. Her fan base continues to grow as does her sales.

This is a true example that beautifully illustrates that what you do with Facebook can develop positive customer relations without a hard sell mentality. Katrina has developed a persona that allows her to be viewed as if she is the ‘every mom’. She is human, she is busy and she loves to make things for others. So when someone longs for a proverbial taste of home they often call on Katrina.

That really is the genius of a site like Facebook. This site allows you to interact with friends and gives them the opportunity to provide instant feedback or just a simple click indicating that they like what you have to say.

Many businesses believe that if a tool isn’t helping them sell something this minute it is an ineffective tool, but Facebook is something that can help you reach a long-term goal. The one thing you need to be aware of is you will be tempted to quit posting long before the fruit of your posts yields results. This is due to the fact that we are a results oriented society and a Facebook strategy is a bit like planting corn and waiting a few months before you can have some.

You don’t even have to spend a significant amount of time with Facebook either. Commit to posting at least one thing each day. This could be something about your business, a humorous incident in the workplace that can actually be shared, or a video that makes sense in terms of your business. Make sure to answer any comments made by friends during the past 24 hours. Facebook will send them an email with your response so you can be relatively certain they will be aware of your response. This also gives other guests some idea of your commitment to customer service (i.e. if you answer comments on Facebook you should also be responsive to any problems a customer might have).

Post photo albums of your business, employees, products and events. This allows friends to catch a glimpse of what you do and who you are. This type of social media can go a long way in making you seem extremely approachable and likeable. By taking this approach you will do more to optimize the good will of friends an influence guests.

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