In the time you take to read these few sentences, hundreds of new Facebook business Pages will be up and running. The problem is – unless those organizations have a built-in audience like big-boy brands Starbucks or Coke – they need to get creative about building a following with content that motivates people to care, share and come back for more.
In Facebook terminology, people who wish to interact with a business Page are called “Likers” of the Page. Here are nine customer engagement ideas we recommend for creating content that keeps your Likers faithfully connected to you and gets shared across an expanded community of Facebook members.
- Conduct surveys where you ask Likers questions related to your industry or your products or services.
- Offer tips within your area of expertise that help people save time or money, simplify their lives in some way, or make them feel better about themselves.
- Hold a contest where you post a photo or cartoon and invite people to write an entertaining caption. (Winner gets a gift card to a local restaurant or store.)
- Link to a video or article of interest to your target audience and include a brief introduction explaining your feeling about its value.
- Provide a fun factoid or quote that delivers a fresh insight or unusual perspective.
- Feature a profile of an employee who’s achieved something impressive professionally or has an interesting hobby or passion.
- Share a photo or photo album that offers an inside peek at your people during a recent event or occasion.
- Ask Likers for suggestions on what they would like to see on your page that isn’t currently part of the mix.
- Offer an exclusive online promotion that gives a discount or upgrade for a limited time when a Facebook Liker prints out a posted coupon or announcement.
Your Facebook business Page can be one of your richest sources of interaction, R&D and lead generation. But only if you post content that’s interesting, relevant and engaging to the Likers who can spread the word and increase your Page base.
Focus your Facebook posting strategy on giving Likers a revolving array of reasons to stay connected, and your online (and offline) business relationships can grow as you go.
