5 Steps To Creating A Fan-Worthy Facebook Business Fan Page
While it's easy to get discouraged with the constant Facebook algorithm changes and give in to the conclusion that a Facebook fan page is not worth the effort, I still see great value there as a small business owner and blogger myself. Yes, the organic reach is low but the reality is that any business or brand that wants to market their business the right way as a professional on Facebook should have a fan page while embracing having an advertising budget and a strong, consistent content marketing game.
Some are quick to criticize Facebook for requiring their users to pay to boost their content but you don't see free ads on television, radio, magazines or billboards. Why should you, as a small business, be allowed to advertise your products or services for free? The quick answer is no. While I can personally relate to the frustration that stems from seeing my post insights and low reach, I also see this as an opportunity for mompreneurs and creative women in business to use it as an opportunity to rise above the noise.
Let's start by addressing why as a Facebook fan page is important:
1. Fan pages are indexed by Google, your personal profile page is not. When someone searches for you or your business, your fan page will appear in Good search engine results. My fan page appears on the first page of google as well as my website and other social media platforms.
2. While it's tempting to do what is comfortable and use your personal page to market your business, products and services, it is also a violation of Facebook's terms to use a personal profile page for commercial gain. Facebook has shut down accounts for this practice so it's just not worth the risk.
3. Your business is more professional with a business page. With the world wide web at the fingertips of billions of people, consumers are able to research the people and brands they wish to do business with before ever contacting them. Running a business from your personal profile can look sloppy and overwhelm your personal network. Think about it like this, you don't see Martha Stewart or Oprah running their empires from their personal pages.
4. Facebook Insights. As a business owner, you are able to track how many people your posts are reaching if you have a business page. Facebook provides detailed analytics for each post you make on your fan page. Think more than 15% of your friends are seeing your posts on your personal profile page? Without Facebook insights you have no clue how many people are actually seeing your posts. I bet you would be surprised at how low it really is with Facebook's clever algorithm. Make no mistake, you are not in control of the content that you post and who sees it, Facebook is.
5. Sponsored Ads. Yes, if you want to market your business to the right audience you will need to have a budget for Facebook ads. With a fan page you can target your ideal client for a very minimal budget (I will get into more of that in a minute) and grow your fan base without the limitations your personal page has.
So now that we have addressed the reasons why it just makes total undeniable sense to grow a business fan page, let's get into the fun part. The HOW.
5 Steps To Creating A Fan-Worthy Facebook Business Fan Page
A business fan page is tied to your personal account. You don't need to create a whole new Facebook account for this. It actually goes against Facebook's terms to have two accounts. Here is a step by step guide by wikiHow on how to create a fan page. The focus of this blog post is how to properly brand your fan page and the strategies I use to market it. So be sure to read this post thoroughly before setting up your page.
1. Fan Page Name. Ensure that you are creating a fan page that makes sense for your brand. Are you creating a Personal Brand or Business Brand? Once you have crystal clear direction you can name your page. Take your time and think this through. Facebook is like a search engine, so think about keywords that need to go into your page name.
For example are you a coach or speaker? If you are creating a page with your name as the brand, include those key words into your page name - Susan Jones, Keynote Speaker or Susan Jones, Mindset Christian Coach.
If you are creating a fan page that is around you as a personal brand ensure that you have your name in the page name. One of the biggest mistakes I see being made is people not including their personal name in their page. When someone searches for you they are most likely going to search for you by how they know you, your name. Without this piece of information in your Facebook page people will not find you. They have no idea that you have branded yourself as the "Crazy Crafty Lady" so ensure that the fan page name includes your personal name, how people know you "Susie Ledbetter, Crazy Crafty Lady".
Remember the search I did at the beginning of the blog post? If my name was not included in my fan page it would not have pulled up in the Google search.
My good friend and business partner Rebecca Renfrow is a great example of a well-branded business page leading with her personal brand. She gives a ton of value that funnels into her coaching program and marketing company.
2. Complete Your About Information. Take the time to complete all of the info related to your fan page under the "About" section. Use this section to share your website/blog and other social media platforms that your audience can connect with you on and find additional value. Share your story, what drives your passion. This is like meeting someone for the first time, that first impression.
Spend time on this, put some thought into it. Do not use this section of your fan page to try to go right in for the hard sell. Remember give, give, give, value, value, value is the name of the marketing game to inspire people to follow you and want to work with you.
3. Content Creation. The content on your fan page should be 80% value that will resonate with your target market and 20% about what you do. You should blog regularly to share valuable information that positions you as an expert in your niche, building an email list with an opt-in and funneling people from your fan page into your blog where you can further the relationship.
Creating content for your audience should not be a stressful or difficult task in marketing your business. Don't over think it trying to come up with the "right" words or the "perfect" post. When you try too hard that is when it gets overcomplicated.
Instead, allow what is in your heart to flow out. In those moments when you are relaxed, in good spirits is when you have your best ideas, speak your truth, what you are passionate about, share your experiences and the lessons you have learned. Come from a place of sharing for the pure joy of sharing not because you are trying to sell something or with the expectation for something to happen. Let go of the need to know what the result will be and just share to serve others.
Creating content for your business is a much more fun process that will attract the results you want when you allow yourself to be free from needing approval. From worrying about how many likes, comments or click-throughs you will receive and allow yourself to live in the moment of the creative process.
4. Facebook Ads. With good valuable content that you are creating through a blog, YouTube Channel, Souncloud, etc. you can share that value on your fan page and target followers who will find that information useful while setting yourself apart as an expert.
A strategy that has worked very well for me over the last 2 years to help grow my fan page to over 2,500 likes is to boost a blog post or quote graphic once a week for $10-$15. I don't spend more than $15 per week. This drives traffic to my blog, my opt-in and my email list. I average 6-10 new likes to my page, 75 click throughs to my website (when I boost a blog post), 5-7 new email subscribers. That has been my average results from a $10-$15 ad.
Of course the more you spend on the ad the more people you reach and the more results you will have. I have been testing this strategy out with a low budget to ensure that I like the results before spending more. A post that does well I can boost over and over.
5. Consistency. You should post 1-2 times per day to your fan page. The rule of thumb used to be more (some experts were suggesting 7-9 times per day) but with the most recent updates to the Facebook algorithm, less is more with the focus on creative quality content over quantity. Here are some tips to help with content:
- Facebook has this awesome schedule feature on fan pages. I try to sit down for an hour on Sundays or Mondays and schedule out my content for the week. That way it's done and I don't have to think about it for the rest of the week except to check my page for comments, likes and shares so I can respond. There is a drop down arrow right to the side of the "Publish" button. Facebook also has a separate app for fan pages that you can download from your app store. I manage 90% of my posts and content from the mobile Pages app.
- Create a Marketing Plan. Write down your favorite resources, blogs, etc. to pull content from. When you sit down to schedule out your content you don't have to think about it or remember. I share blog posts from other Christian women bloggers as well as my own that my target market would also be interested in.
Being consistent is key. Don't go days without posting to your fan page. It will require hard work and consistency but the hard work is definitely worth it share your Godly talents with the world and grow your business for the long term. There is no get rich quick business model. There is only the "put in the time and hard work" model to reap the benefits.
- Ask questions, be authentic. With the latest Facebook update, they are favoring posts that ask questions and promote engagement. I have had to work on this myself but am thinking through my posts now with more intention to spark conversation.
I routinely poke fun at myself on my page at what a hot mess I am with my mom life and the other moms who follow my page seem to appreciate my transparency. I for one see enough highlight reels on social media of people's "perfect" lives that I too love following other mompreneurs who don't pretend to have it all together. So think about how you can take people on a journey with you of your real life to spark conversation.
I posted about my struggles with meal planning and things I am experimenting with and I got several great comments on this post.
- Get Creative. At the beginning of this post I mentioned how I saw the constant changes with Facebook as an opportunity to rise above the noise. When you take the time to craft quality content that speaks deep into the soul of your audience, they will ensure they never miss your content and share it which as a result builds your brand.
When I sit down to craft a post, I don't want to just slap something up, I want to pour my heart into it like this post. It was the only post I made that day, but my audience really resonated with it. I have never boosted this post. The comments, likes and shares are organic because my audience connected with it. Strive to give value and to create content that will speak into the heart of your followers. They will take the time to share their thoughts and share it with their networks.
- Go Live. Facebook is giving live video 6x's the organic reach than regular posts. I personally don't like doing video so I have never gone live but I am okay with my page growing slower and prefer to use my writing talents. If going live is something that you don't mind doing, have a strategy behind it and give value. Your page will grow faster leveraging this tool. Just remember that like any content, going live on your business page is to connect with your audience and give them something they can take away and apply to their lives. If you go live to hard sell what you do, I can promise it won't be effective. Always focus on how you can be a blessing people will be attracted to learn more about what you do.
Were these tips helpful in creating a fan-worthy Facebook business fan page? I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment. Know a hard working creative Christian woman in business that would benefit from this post? I would be so honored for you to share xo
Need a word of encouragement to help you along your journey? I pray you take these words to heart today for God truly does want to see you prosper xo "Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you." Job 22:21
Welcome Beautiful Creative! I'm April, the #CreativeMomista of two boys • Storyteller • Coffee Addict • Worthy Warrior For God • Texas Country Girl • Creative Expressive • Branding + Squarespace Web Designer • A Vintage Soul passionate about inspiring creative women in business and MOMpreneurs to embrace their ENOUGH and own their WORTH in who God created them to be. I am honored to have you here ❥
