Do you have a Facebook business page for your fencing company? If not, you are missing out on a free marketing tool that can promote your products and services and help you attract new customers. With 2.7 billion active users, Facebook can help drive potential customers to your location and website and boost your rankings in search engines.
So, how do you get started? Here are things you can do, to do Facebook the right way for your fencing company.
Create a Facebook page for your business
Start by creating a personal profile on the site. What’s the difference between a personal profile and a business page? A Facebook personal profile is designed for the user to share personal information, photos, and videos with friends and family members. The user sets up a list of “friends” who can and cannot see the profile.
On the other hand, a Facebook business page is a public set-up that allows businesses, organizations, and public figures to connect with their customers, fans, and constituents. Anyone who “likes” or “follows” the page can see its information.
Facebook requires that each business page have an administrator with a personal profile. You can keep people from seeing you are the administrator or not; it is up to you. To set up your business page, click on the “Pages” button, which is located on the left side of the newly formatted Facebook profile home page. After you have opened “Pages,” selected “Create Page” and follow the instructions to set up your business profile.
Choose the page sections that are right for your fencing business
You may be overwhelmed by all the pages you will see next, but do not panic. You do not need to fill out all of them.
Home: This the first page people see when they visit your page. It’s where you post your news and photos. You’ll want to select a high-quality image as your cover photo that showcases your vinyl fencing products. Then include a concise description that tells page visitors about who you are and what you do.
About: This section is the most important page to complete. Be sure to include all the information customers will need to find you, including your showroom address, hours of business, email address, phone number, and website address.
Community: This page can help you build your reputation. Here is where your customers can post comments and photos of their new fences.
Events: On this page, you can let people in the community know about special promotions you have in the works. To create interest, you can invite specific people to a Facebook event you have created.
Info and Ads: This section shows your followers any ads you may be running on Facebook.
Offers: Here’s where you can post special discounts or promotions. As an incentive, you can ask customers to like your Facebook page and find a deal on it.
Photos: This page shows the albums you’ve posted.
Posts: This page holds all your posts, timeline photos, and updates.
Reviews: Customers can write and post a review here, making it easy for potential customers to see how good you are at what you do. You can hide this tab if you like, but it can be a valuable too. Respond to reviews.
Services: Post photos, descriptions, and prices of fencing products. Before-and-after photos are best.
Create and post content
Once you have your page set up, it is not a one-and-done situation. In order for your page to be successful, you need to post content on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be every day, but it’s a good idea to set up at least a weekly schedule and then stick to it.
Think about the kind of content that engages your reader. Posts with photos consistently outperform posts of text alone, and posts with videos outperform posts with still photos. What about a video tour of your new fence styles? Or some high-quality shots of fences you have recently installed?
Other ideas are to write posts that highlight business milestones or employee anniversaries. Give these posts a personal touch to help engage your customers.
You also can provide a service by sharing newsy posts from local non-profits on your page. For example, you could share about a fundraiser for the local library or the food bank. Don’t get carried away with the non-business-related content, though.
Your business page is not the page for photos of your new kitten, for example. Save those posts for your personal page.
Invite people to like your new page
You are now ready to spread the word about your new page. Don’t be shy. Post about it on your personal page, inviting your friends to like the page and to share it with their Facebook friends. Add links to your Facebook page on your company emails, business cards, brochures, and website. Think about offering an incentive, such as a new customer discount, that you can offer to people who visit the page.
Engage with your page visitors
You can engage with folks in many ways on Facebook. One way is to “like” and respond to the comments visitors make on your posts. You also can interact with page visitors through Facebook Messenger.
Track posts
As you get more accustomed to the platform, keep track of which posts get the most interactions and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, did you notice an uptick in calls or in-person showroom visits after you posted that video? If so, then you have a pretty good idea that the video was a success.
Host events
Consider hosting a free Facebook Live video event to further increase interest in a new product or an event you are having at your store. Facebook Live allows you to have real-time conversations with customers and give them an “insider’s look at your fencing business.”
Test paid ads
Although building and maintaining a Facebook business page is free, you might be wondering about paid Facebook ads. If you have the budget for more paid advertising, they are well worth a look because of their ability to target your audience. Facebook has paid options to promote your business page and boost important posts. Visit https://www.facebook.com/business to learn about your advertising options.
Most important: stay current
What’s the biggest mistake people make with their free Facebook business page? It’s not keeping it updated and relevant. You Facebook is a living, growing tool. If social media is not your thing, maybe there a staff member who would handle the page for you? Tend to your Facebook, daily, if possible.
Whether you make the posts yourself or someone else does, it’s time to get your fencing company noticed and growing with a business page on Facebook.