Your 2017 Facebook Action Plan for Business Success

By Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital StrategyEveryone should have a Facebook business page. There are just too many people using Facebook all the time to ignore it as a communication channel.But, having a page is not enough. You need to be seen and to engage with the people you want to reach.The more likes, comments, and shares you have on your page posts, the more likely your Facebook content will be seen.Here are seven steps to get the social media attention your brand deserves.Step 1: Post RegularlyPost once a day to your page. This keeps you in feeds without competing with yourself. Since Facebook limits the number of people who will see your posts, having too many posts just reduces the number of people who will see each one.Step 2: Create Shareable ContentIf you want people to share your Facebook posts, you need to create content is relevant to your audience and makes people want to share it. The content could be breaking news, educational, entertaining, or something that’s unique. Express something that everyone is thinking so they share your post as something they could not have said better themselves.Step 3: Ask for ActionIt is important to ask people to act on your content. Include something as simple as an invitation to share the post: “Please share with your fans.” You can also invite readers to vote, comment, or get more information at a link.Step 4: Pay Attention to Posting Days and TimesPublish when more of your audience is online. Facebook Insights will help you to see when that is. There’s also no substitute for a little trial and error. Try different dates and times and see when you get the most traction.Step 5: Win with VideoVideos get the most engagement on Facebook, yet many businesses do not regularly share video. Posting video will increase the visibility and engagement of your page.One way to incorporate more video is to use Facebook Live. Plan and promote your broadcast ahead of time to get the best results. Caution: It takes time to build a Facebook Live audience. Keep showing up and fans will find you over time.Step 6: Do a Little IntelCheck out what’s working for other businesses in your industry, as well as those in different industries. The pages to watch section of Facebook Insights can help with this. If you designate some pages, Facebook will send you notifications of what’s popular on those pages.Regularly look at what others are doing. Take the lessons you learn from the other business’s top posts and apply those tactics to your own page.Step 7: Drive Traffic From Other SourcesSend traffic to your Facebook page from your other social channels and your newsletter. And, share your Facebook posts on your other channels. Newsletter subscribers are loyal members of your audience. Lead them to your page so they can engage with you and your community.The more traffic you drive to Facebook, the more followers you’ll get and the more likely they’ll engage with your content. [author]About the Author: Jill Kurtz founded Kurtz Digital Strategy to help clients see the communication potential of the newest trends and technologies. She is an expert at website strategy and redesign, social media planning, and developing exceptional content.[/author]