5 Things To Consider When Posting On Facebook For Small Businesses
Table of Contents
A Quick Background On My Experience
About a year ago I was presented with the opportunity to start and grow the online presence for a small business that had opened in Plymouth, MI. A part of that opportunity required establishing and growing a Facebook following for that business. Quickly, I learned what kind of Facebook posts perform best and the type of content that resonates well with consumers. This blog highlights the top five things I learned to consider when creating Facebook posts for a small business.
1.) Write as a human not as a business.
Can you tell the difference between a post created by a group of individuals opposed to one created by one individual?
I often see a mistake made by small businesses. That is where a post reads like it was carefully crafted in a room full of business individuals. In other words, the post is filled with boring business jargon and lacks the passion and personality that a small business has to offer.
Think about the type of personality your business would have if it were a human.
Now, take that personality and use it to write your Facebook posts. Show your followers that there is a human behind the screen.
Doing this facilitates a more authentic interaction between your business and the consumer. Forget the business jargon and get your message out there in a way as if you were talking to the consumer face to face.
2.) Forget stock photos. Make your photos authentic.
I understand how difficult it could be to obtain authentic photos on a consistent basis when you are a small business. Even if you are the business owner running your Facebook page, taking photos for Facebook typically isn’t at the forefront of your mind. However, it is well worth it!
I have found that consumers want to see your products or services. A consumer is more willing to interact or be intrigued by an authentic photo taken from your store or on the job.
The reasoning for that is simple. Consumers want to see exactly what your products or services look like.
I have seen first hand the difference in performance regarding reach and engagement when it comes to comparing stock photos to authentic photos.
With today’s technology, you do not need to be an expert in photography to take a good picture. A smartphone will easily allow you to capture high quality photos worthy of posting to Facebook.
Look at the distribution and engagement differences between a post where I had used an authentic photo and stock photo.
3.) Don't be shy to show emotion.
It is completely okay to show emotion through your Facebook posts! Be excited about the products and services you are posting about! Portraying emotion builds on the idea that there is a human behind the screen.
Emotion portrayed through posts leads to more authentic interactions between your business and the consumer. Your consumers will begin realizing that you’re not just some large corporation trying to sell them something. You want to establish a friendly relationship with your target market.
Facebook even has features now where you can add emotion to your post. Doing even the simplest of things can increase your growth and engagement. Neil Patel has a great in-depth blog on his site on how to leverage emotion to improve your social media marketing efforts.
4.) Encourage your followers to engage.
Like all social media platforms, engagement is important for the growth of your Facebook page. ImageWorks explores deeper on the benefits of engagement on Facebook posts.
How do you do this though?
What I found is to go beyond simply asking your followers to re-share your post. Begin posting content on Facebook that encourages conversation.
It can be easy as asking your followers to share their thoughts or opinions on a subject. This is an easy way to grow the amount of comments and interactions you receive on a post.
Here is an example of a simple Facebook post that I made for a small business earlier this year.
5.) Use hashtags to reach a larger audience.
Facebook hashtags really are an easy way to organically extend your posts reach to consumers. I have found that using a combination of both broad and niche hashtags can get your post in front of a larger audience.
Typically, I like to include a popular hashtag along with one that is more focused on my target market. For example, “#plymouthmichigan” is meant to get my content in front of my local market where “butchershop” would be used in effort to reach a much broader audience.
Facebook is helpful in a way that when you are adding a hashtag to your post, it will give you the number of other posts that have used that hashtag as well. This gives you a relative idea on how popular the hashtag you are using is.
At the end of the day, you’re going to find what does and doesn’t work for your Facebook page. I hope that these five things that I learned help you grow your own Facebook presence through the use of Facebook posts.