18 Dos and Don’ts for a Successful Facebook Business Page
Updated
Facebook is the biggest social network on the planet, with more than 2.1 billion people using it every day. And that’s a good thing, because Facebook can be an inexpensive, effective way to connect with your target audience and promote your brand.
We’ll assume you already have a Facebook page set up for your business. If not, check out this guide.
Facebook for Business Dos and Don’ts
DO use an easily recognizable image (like your brand logo) for your profile picture—it will appear in the News Feed so it should be clear and recognizable. Your cover photo—the large image at the top of your profile, lets you feature an image that represents who you are, so use a high-quality, attractive picture.
DON’T leave the Intro/Bio section of your page blank. This is your chance to say who you are, what you do and what you stand for—use it!
DON’T use your Facebook page to constantly push your products or services. You’re trying to create relationships, not annoy people with a sales pitch.
DO develop a distinct voice for your Facebook page. Use the tone on your company website as a starting point, then add a healthy dollop of personality and humor.
DON’T go crazy with the hashtags. Some studies show that Facebook posts without hashtags get the most engagement. On the other hand, your post will show up if someone searches for the hashtag you used. Bottom line: use them strategically, and keep it to two to three per post.
DO highlight your Facebook presence on your website, both by including the Facebook icon and by embedding popular Facebook posts right on your site. Just click the arrow button on the top right of the post, select Embed, and copy and paste the provided HTML code onto the page where you want the post to display.
DO respond quickly and publicly to any customer who uses Facebook to lodge a complaint about your company or the products or services you provide, so everyone can see that you care about your customers and are responsive to their concerns.
But DON’T get into specifics about the issue. Encourage them to email you directly or take the communication private using Facebook chat.
DO highlight company events and milestones. Facebook has a different feel than your company website, so while you might post a press release to your news section about a recent event, your Facebook page is the place to make these events more relatable by sharing fun photos and personal thoughts.
DO create compelling content that prompts people to like your page and comment on your posts.
But DON'T use engagement bait to get people to interact with your page.
DON’T be afraid to experiment with how often and when you post. Research suggests you should post once a day, with the optimum times being 1-4 p.m. on weekdays and 1-2 p.m. on weekends, but it all depends on the audience you’re trying to reach, so try different things to see what works best for you.
DO create an editorial calendar to help you create quality, consistent posts.
DO share content from other sources. Posting things that are interesting or valuable to your Facebook followers—even if it has nothing to do with your company or products—is a great way to build trust and show you care about your customers.
DO use video to get your audience’s attention—videos are more likely to be shared than any other post type, and Facebook users watch live videos three times longer than prerecorded videos.
DO try boosting your Facebook posts. Boosted posts appear higher in the News Feed to increase visibility, and may also appear on Instagram. Wait until 24 hours after your initial post, then click Boost Post in the lower-right corner of the post to choose your audience, set a budget, and start paid promotion.
DO include an image or photograph in your post—Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without.
DO use Facebook’s Page Insights and Meta Business Suite features to find out who is most engaged with your page (current clients? prospects?) and see how well your Facebook page is performing in terms of reaching your audience, likes, shares, and engagement.