You know how to post to your Facebook Page, but do you know what should you post?  What will help you grow your Fan base, and more importantly, engage your Fans?  Let’s talk about tips for Facebook posting and how to get Facebook Fans.

Your job is to create posts that make their lives easier, more fulfilled, more interesting, healthier, …better.   How does your Page benefit them in their personal lives or in their business?  People want to be informed and entertained. They want your Page to add value to their lives! They do not want to be “sold to”.

You also must provide information that people will want to share with their Facebook Friends. When they share with their Friends, their Friends will see that the Post originated from your Page and will be more likely to check out the source of this great information.

Tips for Facebook Posting

How are you going to connect with your customers and prospective clients? How will you get the word out about your company’s great products and services? What is compelling content?

1. Always add a Photo, Link or Question

Your posts is competing with dozens, if not hundreds of other posts on your Fans’ NewsFeeds.  What can you do to make your post stand out from the crowd?  You want your post to catch the reader’s eye and to draw them in.  The first step to doing this is to always add a photo, link or question (poll) to your status update.  An image, whether from the photo, a thumbnail from the linked website, or the video, will create more interest than just a simple message with words alone.  Plus, it takes up more space on the News Feed.

For the sake of time,  I’m going to ask you review a previous blogpost about EdgeRank, Facebook’s custom algorithm for determining which posts get displayed in a News Feed.  It is important to understand the three component of EdgeRank:  Affinity, TimeDecay, and Weight. Take the time to review the blogpost and you will be convinced you that every single post you make should have a photo, link, video, or question attached. Every. Single. One.

2.  Share Relevant, Useful and Timely Information
Did you just read an interesting article about a community issue or something that affects your industry?  Did you hear a good joke? Share it! There is so much information out there that your Fans will appreciate you weeding through the mess and being their source for articles worthy of note.

If you have an amazing insight or have found a great article or video to share, don’t just share the juicy information: share what you think about it. Then, ask a question of your Fans. Tell them to click Like if they agree.
Make sure the content is fresh and new. Why bother your Fans with posting an article that is 6 months old and irrelevant or out of date?

Remember: your job as the admin is to provide information that makes your Fans’ lives better. Consider your Page their own personal secretary who reads the mail, email, and newspapers, and only forwards on the important stuff. Your Fans will begin to look to your Page for the information that is of interest to them.

3.  Tagging and Posting on Other Pages
We have discussed how Pages can Like other Pages. One of the advantages of Liking Pages is that your Page can post on that Page’s Wall for all of their Fans to see. Wow! Now your post may have just been seen by all of their Fans with your Page’s thumbnail right there on the Wall for all to see! Think about how many more Facebook users you can reach! Oh – the visibility! (If the Page does not allow others to post on their Wall, then you are out of luck. But it’s worth a try.)

When you post on another Page, it does not show up on your Page’s Wall. However, when you Tag a Page, then the post will show up on both your Wall and the Page’s Wall (if they allow it and if the EdgeRank is high enough). To Tag a Page, create your Status Update so that it includes the name of the Page in the text. When you type in the text, use the “@” symbol before you start typing in the Page name. As you start typing in the name, you will see a drop down box with Pages that begin with the same letters. When you find the Page that you are wanting to Tag, then select that from the drop down menu.

(I know this may sound frustrating, but sometimes this does not work. Sometimes the Page does not allow others to write on their Wall. Sometimes it works on Mondays and not Tuesdays. Sometimes it’s just a bug in Facebook. If it doesn’t work, then go ahead and post the update on your Page, then copy it and try to post it directly on the other Page. It will have the same effect but will take two steps. But you should definitely try to Tag other Pages as often as possible, as it doubles your visibility.)

When you are using “Facebook as Page Name”, and you search for and Like a Page, then your Page Likes the Page. Your Page can then post on that Page’s Wall and Tag that Page. However, if you are using “Facebook as Your Personal Profile”, and you search for and Like a Page, then your Personal Profile Likes the Page. Your Page can then post on that Page’s Wall and Tag that Page. The Page or Pages that you Admin may or may not Like the same Pages that your Personal Profile Likes. So, it is important to pay attention to which is in control of your Facebook session so you know which Pages you can post to or Tag.

4.  Create Fan Interaction
Social media is all about conversation and creating relationships. You want your posts to be engaging and to invite dialogue. It is great if your post is seen by your Fans, but what is even better is if your Fans start talking about your posts. Or better yet, start a conversation amongst each other about your posts. Your job is to encourage this conversation and give it a little push in the right direction.
Remember that our world is all about speed and sound bites. Don’t be verbose in your message. Be succinct and straight to the point.

When creating your posts, don’t be afraid to ask your Fans to click Like. “Click Like if you’re going to our Open House tonight!” “Click Like if you are a baseball fan!” When your Fans comment on or Like a post, acknowledge this. Respond to their comment, even if it is a simple “thank you”. Ask an additional question.

Ask questions. Don’t just share a link or video: ask your Fans what they think. Make the question simple, as many people will ignore the question if the answer will be long and drawn out. Try something like, “Share 3 words about what you thought about today’s class.” Or, “What was your favorite SuperBowl commercial?”  They can always post more if they want, but ask a question that allows them to answer quickly with as few words as possible. People are always in a hurry and will be more likely to respond if the requested response is short.

Are two or more Fans talking about your Post? Join in the conversation and encourage the dialogue!

Encourage your Fans to share your Page. Just ask! “This is a great article! Share it with your Friends!” “We’re at 497 Fans! Share our Page with your Friends and let’s hit 500 today!”

When you see that your Page has a new Fan, welcome them with a “Thanks for Liking our Page” message on your Wall. This is the “social” part of “social media”.

Have you found certain Fans are more active than others? Then chances are, they are more active on Facebook in general. Make a special effort to engage them, as this will help your posts be seen by their Friends when they share and respond. Consider interviewing them for your Page!

What if you get a negative post? If it is inappropriate or spam, then consider deleting the post and evening banning that Fan from your Page. However, maybe this is an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. Respond to the negative comment or complaint and do what you can to resolve it! Often, an unhappy customer who has their problem solved quickly and easily turns into a brand advocate. If others see this process and realize that your company really cares about its customers and makes the extra effort to address and fix problems rather than ignoring them, then you have just won them over as well.

5.  Coordinate Your Marketing Strategies
Facebook isn’t a stand-alone marketing tool. Are you using email? A website or blog? Direct mail? Other social media sites? It is important that your branding is consistent throughout the tools that you are using.
Share new content from your blog on your Facebook Page. Link your Facebook Page to Twitter and LinkedIn so that your updates are posted on all three sites. You can use other automated tools to share on other sites as well, but these LinkedIn and Twitter have very robust applications that make sharing with Facebook simple and painless. Just remember that, when you use an automated tool, the status update is usually appended with the name of that tool. The formatting may also be compromised. It loses the personal touch of posting “by hand”.

Use the social plug-ins that you can create in the Resources section of Edit Page and put badges on your email, blog and website so that it is easy to share your message and Like your Page.  Create a link your Facebook on your email signature.  Add the custom url or even just the Facebook logo to your business card, brochure, advertisement, and any other written marketing material. Let the world know you are on Facebook!

6. Keep Business and Pleasure Separate
As mentioned before, Facebook Personal Profiles are for you to interact with friends and family. This is where you will be sharing videos of your son’s winning touchdown at the high school football game, or of the big fish you caught on vacation (photoshopped, of course).

Your Facebook Page is where you interact with business associates, customers, prospective clients, and anyone who shares an interest in your area of expertise. Yes, some of these are also friends and family, but many are not. Do you want them to see your family pictures? Do you really want your customers to know that you spent two weeks in Bali?
There will be those who argue, and the call is totally up to you. I recommend keeping the two separate. Often, I will post something on my Page and then share it on my Personal Profile, but rarely do I post personal information on my Page.

7.   Create a Custom Landing Tab
When new visitors come to your site, you can direct them to any number of windows: Wall, Info, Photos, etc. However, studies have shown that the conversion of visitors to Likes increases with a custom landing tab.
A custom landing tab is something that you (or someone you hire) create to welcome a new visitor with a message and look that can set your Page apart from others. Think of is as a mini-webpage. You can place photos, links, videos, or whatever you want on this landing Page that will entice the visitor to click the Like button.

There are several free and several paid-for custom landing tab applications to choose from, with more being available every day. They can be as simple or complicated as you desire. Do a search on Facebook or on your browser and see if one of these fits your needs.

When someone already Likes your Page, they will not automatically be sent to the custom landing tab when they visit. However, the tab will show up on the left hand side with the other applications so they are able to access the information.

8.    Change your Profile Picture
This isn’t really about posting, but it is a good way to keep your Page fresh: update your profile picture. I like to change my Page’s profile picture every month or two. The “weebles” in my logo will wear a winter scarf, party hat, hold an American flag, or something relevant to the season. Or I’ll put up a QR Code or a photo of me at a speaking engagement or workshop. Create just enough of a change that when your Fans see a post with a new thumbnail, it will grab their attention.

9. Let Your Admins Shine
Does your Page have several Admins? Consider having the Admins sign their posts so that the Fans know which posts come from which Admins. It breaks through the corporate barrier and reminds your Fans that there are real people who are doing the posting. This helps create a sense of community and relationship.

10.  How Often Should You Post? When?
You can ask 10 different Facebook consultants and you will get 10 different answers to this question. When someone Likes your Page, they have allowed your Posts to be added to their News Feed. This person may like 10 Pages or 100 Pages. (One of my Facebook Friends likes over 1400 Pages!) You want to show up in their NewsFeed, but nothing is more annoying than to see a stream of posts from the same Page.  My suggestion is to do one or two posts a day, and post 3-5 times a week. This gets your message out without monopolizing the NewsFeeds of your Fans. Posting less than once a week implies that you may not be fully participating and interested in Facebook. Infrequent posting will affect your EdgeRank and, when someone does come to your Page, they will wonder why you aren’t participating. Are you still in business? Do you care? People expect to find your business on Facebook and they expect you to be posting regularly.

Review your posts and see which ones are getting the most activity. Are you able to determine a pattern? Do you see more comments and likes in the morning or evening? On Mondays of Saturdays? Every business is different, and it is up to you to determine the habits of your Fans. If you get the most interactions on Sunday afternoons, then that is when you should be posting. By all means, post at other times as well, but it is worth the effort to determine if there is a most effective time of day and day of the week.

Finally…Remember the golden rule: Never post anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see. Be courteous, thoughtful, and professional with a human twist. Mind your manners and watch your spelling.

Yes, the end goal is to sell our products or services and make money. But with social media, it is more about creating the relationships and brand advocates and let their support do the selling for you.