4 advanced Facebook Fan Page techniques

In my last post about Facebook Fan pages, we covered how to build a consistent Facebook presence, invite people to like your page and start curating content. However, there’s so much more to know to be successful on Facebook if it’s one of your target social media platforms. Read on to find out how to use Facebook to build your brand and gain loyal fans.

How to stay relevant on Facebook

Facebook’s algorithm has recently changed, resulting in even less engagement in most Fan Page updates. Though this mostly affects text statuses, it’s important to know how to keep eyeballs on your business even when Facebook shakes things up. Use these techniques to cultivate a powerful fan base:

The most important Facebook Fan Page techniques

1. Don’t just use stock photos. You already know that Facebook posts with images typically get more engagement. However, the kind of image you post matters, so don’t just choose a stock image and stick it up with your content. This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you post more specific images, they will get more engagement. See the below example from Buffer:

2. Don’t misuse hashtags. Hashtags can be a really powerful tool if used correctly. However, so many businesses make common hashtag mistakes - such as:

• Using hashtags that are too long. Make sure the tags you use are actually something that people are filtering by. When you hashtag random phrases, it may be funny, but it’s definitely not going to #boostinterestinyourpost.
• Placing punctuation in a hashtag. Punctuation breaks a hashtag - so many sure you don’t include it. For example: #content/marketing (wrong), #contentmarketing (right).
• Writing posts with too many hashtags. There are platforms where it’s okay to use multiple hashtags, and some where it’s not. On Facebook, I typically try to only incorporate one hashtag (if at all). On Twitter, my max is two. On Instagram, however, you can include more.

Instead, use hashtags to categorize your posts. Companies typically attach hashtags to their campaigns to help them go viral. For example, the City of New York used the #LoveNYC hashtag to raise sentiment for the city at the end of 2013. If you’d like to make the best use of hashtags in your posts, check out Social Media Today’s how-to guide.

3. Do your ad campaigns right. Facebook advertising campaigns are a powerful way to reach a very specific subset of Facebook users. Unlike other online advertising services that mine for data, Facebook incorporates user-provided information - so it’s much more accurate.

How do you do your ad campaigns right? The highlights include choosing a small audience segment to minimize the amount you spend on impressions, testing and monitoring performance. Read more about how to optimize your campaigns in the Wishpond blog.

Are you using any specific Facebook strategies that work? I’d love to hear more about them. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or email me at jackie@jackiesteinmetz.com.