Utilizing social media marketing has a huge potential to increase your sales. Let’s talk about Facebook, specifically. And no, we don’t mean Facebook ads. Your business Facebook page helps you increase brand awareness, improve brand loyalty and get better ranks in SERPs. And know that when we say “brand awareness” we are just saying make people more aware of your company and what it has to offer.

Did you know that 51% of Facebook users are more likely to buy from brands/companies they follow? And did you know 47% of Americans say Facebook has a greater impact on their purchasing behavior than any other social network? And this is especially true since Facebook added the widget for asking for recommendations. Besides having a Business Facebook page with your address, hours, location and the basics, what’s a business owner to do? We have some suggestions that relate to updating your Facebook page as a whole, and with posts:

    1. Place keywords in strategic locations. Facebook limits where you can write large amounts of text, so if you want to use key words and phrases, you should use them on every post. The About section allows you the greatest opportunity for a large amount of text that explains who you are and what you do, and allows you to use your key phrases and related phrases to your benefit.

 

    1. Optimize Facebook status updates for SEO. Every time you post an update on a project, talk about a special, wish your Facebook fans Happy Holidays, create an event or share cute photos, it’s an opportunity to improve your SEO. Take advantage of the descriptive fields to add keywords because even if it takes only one minute to fill in everything, it can make a difference in your SERPs ranking. Keep in mind that this text will become the SEO title of your Facebook post.

 

    1. Include your address to improve your local SEO. This one is pretty simple. And if you want people to know you’re in their part of town, why wouldn’t you include your address? Even if you run your business out of your home, you need to include something.

 

    1. Link to your business Facebook page from your website. This is a no brainer for whoever built your website. If you don’t already link to your business Facebook page, get that done ASAP. Many people who visit your website will click on the Facebook link to see reviews of your company, and to see if they can get a discount or special offer by “liking” your page.

 

    1. Use the Notes feature on your business Facebook page. You can post Notes to update your fans and customers on important news, or update them in a crisis. This is different than just writing a post. And assuming your business page is public, Google will search and index the Notes section on business pages. This is not true of personal pages. So, this is another chance to write keyword rich content on your business Facebook page. Be sure you include relevant keywords in the title of your post. And yes, it should have a title.

 

    1. Post direct links to your website on your Facebook page. Every post should have a link back to your website (backlinks). Post links to your blog on your Facebook page. Post something about a recent job you completed and link to the relevant Services page. You get the idea.

 

    1. Engage with your reviewers. Thank people for good reviews. Publicly offer to work things out with people who left negative reviews. Visitors to your Facebook page will appreciate that you didn’t just ignore the person who left a negative review.

 

    1. Above all, post frequently and post content that will engage visitors. Post about something good that happened that day. Post about a new service. Post about a special offer. Post pictures of your employees on the job. Ask questions. Take a poll. The more engaged people are on your Facebook page, the more visible it becomes to Google. And the more engagement you get on positive posts, the less likely that negative review is t stay at the top of the page.

 

    1. Use calls to action (CTAs) and ask people to like and share posts. Consider offering a chance to win something or get a discount.

 

  1. Have fun with it. Use your own voice, and be real. Of course, always be professional.

If you as a business owner take a little time to review your Facebook page and make sure it gets new posts on a regular basis, you should start to see some results. If you feel you have the time or computer savvy, hire someone to do it for you, whether that’s a company employee or an outside firm.

If you need help keeping your business Facebook page up to date and adding new and engaging posts, Coastal Web Services can help. We offer SEO consulting services, social media marketing services and web design services to small businesses in Multiple States.  Call us at 410-420-9390 for information about Facebook Marketing.