Does your small business need a Facebook page? The answer to that question is absolutely yes. What you were really asking is does my business need to be active on Facebook, but we’ll get to that in minute.
As long as you have a company, brand, product, or product name that you want to protect and control, and don’t want a cybersquatter to take control of it, then yes you do need a Facebook page. At the very least claim your Facebook page and just put up a link to your main website.
How Often Do I Need to Post to My Facebook Page?
It really depends on the type of small business you are. Are you a B2B or B2C business? Businesses that are B2C should be posting a lot more frequently and a lot more often than B2B sites. Of course this is a general rule and you will need to use a bit of common sense. For example a funeral home is a B2C business, but if you start posting updates every time you get a new customer, things will get kind of … um … awkward.
How many times your small business should post to your Facebook page also depends on the level of interactivity of your customers or target audience. Do you sell personal electronics, cute puppy sweaters, or fun t-shirts? If you are an industry with a high level of online activity you can post at least once a day, sometimes more. If you sell something with a low level of online activity or a seasonal interest like custom built furniture, handmade Christmas ornaments, or carpet cleaning, you will have a lower level of online activity. In the beginning, you are going to have to do some experimenting and post 2-3 times a day at different times to see when your post gets the highest visibility and the highest engagement.
Facebook Reach
Facebook Engagement
Is Facebook right for your business?
Can I Use My Personal Facebook Account for My Business?
While I’m not an accountant or a lawyer, if your business is a separate tax entity (or you want it to be), then you should not use your personal account as your business account. If you are a paid public speaker, entertainer, artist, or produce a good or service that only you can perform, produce, or create, then you can use your personal Facebook page for your business. However if you are selling something like exotic cupcakes, but they can be made by anyone who can follow a procedure or directions, then you need a separate page for your business. As a best practice you really would be better off creating an artist, band, or public figure page, but that’s up to you.
What Should I Post on My Facebook Business Page
Even though you’re posting and sharing on your business Facebook account, the less self-interested content and links the better. Social media is engaging with your customers, not just talking about yourself. Do you have something new, important, or newsworthy you want to talk about or share, then absolutely post that. However most of the things you post about should NOT be about you. If you run a cupcake shop, share a link about the latest study about those who prefer the flavor chocolate over vanilla are happier and more likely to date attractive and wealthy partners (this is totally true trust me). Sell women’s clothing, then post links about the latest fashion trends, colors, styles etc. This doesn’t mean you have to post links to your competitors, though. Almost every industry has trusted news or reference websites.
How Can I Get More Likes and Shares on My Business Facebook Pages
Looking to get more people to like, share or comment on your Facebook posts, remember what was mentioned above about keeping the self interested posts to a minimum—that’s your biggest step in the right direction. The next thing to do is post exceptional content. It can be exceptionally funny, deeply emotional, profoundly inspiring, or surprisingly educational as long as it is in some way noteworthy. The last time you went to dinner and it was “ok” chances are you didn’t tell anyone, but if you had an amazing meal chances are good you told someone else about it.
Another tip for getting more engagement from your audience is to use pictures. There have been numerous studies showing how using pictures increases engagement, but it’s not as simple as that. Try to use pictures that make the person looking at it feel something. For example look at the two chocolate cupcake pictures below, the one on the right does a much better job of making you want a cupcake than the one on the left.
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(Image credits Todd Dailey and DixieBellCupcakeCafe)
Want people to comment or have conversations on the things you post then you will need to make posts that ask questions or will inspire a fun filled harmless debate. Look for ways to tie them in with your business or general market sector. For example, if you are an auto repair shop you could post a picture of your favorite car and ask them to share theirs, or post a pic of your first car and ask them to share what they first owned, or what was their dream car when they were young. The variations are endless.
So to wrap things up at the very least you should protect your intellectual property and create a Facebook page for your business. For most people it makes the most sense to create a separate account for their business and not use their personal account. You need to post regularly and use Facebook analytics to figure out which time is the best time to post so you get maximum visibility and engagement. Look for ways to boost engagement with compelling and conversational styles of posts and by using good imagery.
If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out our post on “Does My Business Need a Twitter Account”.
