3 Reasons Your Facebook Brand Page Looks Like a Ghost Town
Starting a Facebook brand page is a good strategy for any business. If maintained properly, Facebook marketing can be an excellent tool and a terrific way to reach your customers. This platform requires daily care, however. It’s not enough to put up a page and leave it. Maintaining a Facebook page and making the most out of the interaction between your brand and your community take a bit of effort. Very few pages yield thousands of followers in the first few weeks and it takes lots of planning and outreach to reach this point.
If your Facebook brand page resembles a ghost town more than it does an active community, there are some steps you can take to bring folks in and encourage them to be active participants. So why is your Facebook page a ghost town?
1. No one knows where to find you
If your signage, brochures, advertisements, or other offline or online promotional material says “Like us on Facebook†or “Follow us on Twitter†with very little else, it’s no wonder you don’t have any fans, friends or followers. People won’t know where to find you unless you tell them, and very few people will take the time to search. You have to do the work for people and give them something to go on. Under “Like us on Facebook,†include /YourPageName and under “Follow us on Twitter†include @your name. You don’t have to include the entire URL but do make it easy for everyone to find you.
2. You’re not giving anyone an opportunity to respond
Very few Facebook pages do well on their own. If you’re not seeing much of a response to your posts and updates it could be that you’re not inviting anyone to participate. You may think that just by posting something you’ll see interaction, but the truth is people like to be asked.
When you make a statement, that’s exactly what people see. They don’t see you asking a question or inviting conversation. Facebook updates need to be open ended and there has to be a specific action requested if you want a response. Go ahead and ask for Likes or Shares, but also ask for comments. If you do make a statement try ending with “would you agree?†or “what are your thoughts?†and see if it makes a difference. When you let your community know their opinions matter, they’re going to weigh in.
3. You’re not giving anyone any reason to share or talk about you
Have you ever noticed some Facebook pages receive hundreds of Likes or Shares on everything they post? It’s not only because a high fan count. The truth is, brands that have the most Shares post content worth sharing. Nothing is done off the cuff or by accident. They take time to strategize and plan every image, video, or comment. What they post on Facebook is posted for a reason, and that reason is to get a reaction so others will comment, share and Like. When their communities take action those actions show up in their newsfeeds encouraging their friends and family to also join in.
Try sharing images, videos and calls to action. Content can be humorous, poignant or share tips and how to’s, as long as it’s relevant to your brand. Don’t forget to include calls to action (CTA) inviting people to weight in, Like if they agree or share if they think it’s something everyone should know.
No one likes to be part of a one sided conversation
The word “engage†is the subject of many jokes lately and most social media professionals are doing their best to avoid it. However, if you want people to participate on your Facebook brand page, you have to be engaging. You can’t just post content and hope people show up. If your brand is absent, your community will be absent too.