The Ultimate Guide to Facebook for Business

Facebook is an incredibly potent device for marketing. You have heard this no doubt before.

It is, after all, the largest social network in the world, and one that allows for previously unheard-of contact avenues. Never before have businesses been able to reach their customer base so quickly, and at a level so personal. Of course, this means you can not go into it in and of itself without a specific marketing plan, one that needs to be versatile enough to adapt with your changing business needs.

Here we can help.

You've come to the right place whether you're new to Facebook for business or want to add something new to your existing Facebook marketing plan. This guide is meant to assist marketers of all levels of experience, from beginners to experienced. We'll teach you how to use Facebook pages, profiles, groups, ads, live video, analytics, competitions, and more–everything you need to brighten up your business.

Understanding the Facebook Algorithm

The Facebook algorithm determines when and where the posts and advertisements on a company's organic page appear. It's constantly changing and growing, so marketers will keep on their toes constantly, so they can find out what to expect.

The one commonality is that each improvement is designed to provide Facebook users with a better experience–so if you want to figure things out, this is the best place to start.

What The Facebook Algorithm Likes (and Doesn’t Like)

Generally speaking, the Facebook algorithm will always favor posts that have lots of likes, comments, or shares, particularly if all that interaction comes in a short time. It will also consider serving content to a user if their friends enjoyed these, as well as types of posts that the user either communicates with or seems to like frequently.

It refers to sites as well as blogs-but we will explore this in the piece a bit later. What the algorithm of Facebook doesn't like is also pretty clear. Spam, clickbaiting, likebaiting, repeated messages, text-only notifications, odd patterns of interaction and too promotional content.

Facebook Zero: It’s All About Meaningful Interactions

Facebook made significant changes to its algorithm for feeding news last year. Widely known as the "Facebook Zero" update, the gist of it is that it has deprioritized the mainstream, technical posts and prioritized posts from people with whom it is linked. It includes more updates from friends and family, messages from friends and family requesting advice or recommendations, and information posted in individual news feeds by friends and family.

Consequently, it also means fewer company positions and posts promoted.

Organizations now need content that reflects on the company, instead of advertising material. All fair game posts that inform while entertaining, live video and anything that creates excitement (and thus comments and shares). Such is the promotion of long-form content, either from third parties or from first parties.

The Facebook Ad Algorithm

The Facebook ad algorithm is even more complex in many respects than its algorithm feeds on news. It was very accurately described by Michael Stelzner as a big black box which few people understand. What we do know is that it's user-focused and built like the newsfeed algorithm to determine the best ads to show the best goals while also creating a positive experience.

We also know it doesn't simply make the highest bid a priority. Paying more doesn't mean your ad would be more likely to be viewed. However, according to Ralph Burns of Tier 11, the bid is only part of the total value of an ad, which includes expected rate of operation, price and relevance.

Optimizing your Facebook ads involves testing and perfecting several factors.

• Matching your message to your market.
• Determining the results you want to see from each individual ad.
• Choosing the right objective for your overall ad campaign.

Putting Your Business On Facebook

Businesses have a number of ways to build a presence on Facebook, and it's important you understand their functionality, advantages, and disadvantages. This will help you decide which one fits your business objectives best. We're going to touch each one briefly below, and you can read about them here in greater depth.

Options

Personal Profile

You do so as yourself when you sign up for Facebook, and build a personal profile. Especially if you're a sole proprietor, just using that profile for your company can be tempting. Nonetheless, doing so could violate the terms of service of Facebook -proceed with caution.

Pros

• Attracts followers from among your friends and family (and their friends and family).
• Personalizes your business.
• Helps potential customers contact you directly.

Cons

• You risk violating Facebook’s terms of service and having your account removed.
• Your friends and family may not be your primary demographic.
• You can’t post ads with links to online ordering or other pages on your website.
• Scaling can be difficult.

Best Practices

• Be aware of your privacy settings, and avoid posting personal content publicly. Make sure to preview your public profile so you know what colleagues and customers see.
• Learn how your personal profile connects to business pages and groups so you know where your content and images do and don’t appear.
• Put a professional spin on your profile picture and cover image.
• Add professional details to your profile.
• Share behind-the-scenes moments from your business that add personality to your brand.

You can learn more about using a personal Facebook profile for business here.

Facebook Business Page

If you sign up for Facebook, you do so as yourself, and you create a personal profile. Especially if you are a sole proprietor, it can be tempting to just use that profile for your business. Nonetheless, doing so could violate the terms of service of Facebook -proceed with caution.

Pros

• Gives you access to Facebook ads.
• Separates your personal life from your business.
• Gives you access to Facebook Analytics.

Cons

• Managing a business page can be time-consuming.
• You’re subject to Facebook’s ad policy, and your ads may not be approved under it.

Best Practices

• Avoid overly-promotional content.
• Find, create, and share content that’s relevant to your products.
• Create a greater narrative that keeps your customers interested.

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are communities that you enter from your personal profile or website, consisting of like-minded individuals and organizations who come together to discuss and share ideas about common interests. These groups often have rules to keep their intent based on the interaction. You can either create your own community or join one of many Facebook groups that have been formed around your company.

Pros

• They’re a great way to find new connections, customers, and partners.
• It’s easy to form relationships and take them out of the group.
• Members of a Facebook group are usually a targeted, highly-receptive audience.

Cons

• If you don’t own a group, you can be removed without cause.
• It can be incredibly time-consuming to keep up with active groups.

Best Practices

• Be helpful and supportive towards other group members.
• Avoid thinking or acting exclusively in the interests of your business – you’re here to be part of a community, not promote.
• Don’t overdo it. Join just one or two groups and remain helpful and active.
• Make sure to read the rules of a newly-joined group.
• If you’re going to add people to a Facebook group, make sure you only add those you know are interested.
• Only create a group if you have a clear purpose in mind.

Public Figure Facebook Page

Creating, Optimizing, and Protecting Your Facebook Business Page

Your Facebook business page is linked to your personal profile, so that Facebook knows who owns the account, but their separate presence helps you to advertise your brand. We have a lot of apps, including analytics, advertisement and post scheduling, that are not open to profiles. Here's how to make sure your website is set up for success.

Adding a Profile Photo

Your profile photo can be any number of things.

A photo of a physical product you sell or a representation of a service you offer. A professional photo of yourself if you’re the face of your business. Your logo. Even a shot of your headquarters.

Whatever you choose, keep the composition simple and easily recognizable. Ideally, you’ll want the photo to be sized at 180 x 180 pixels. You can use a free tool like Canva or GIMP 2 to help you with the process.

Once you’re done, go to your page and click on Add a Picture.

Adding a Cover Photo

The process for adding a cover photo is almost the same as adding a profile photo, with one difference – the dimensions for a Facebook cover photo are 828 x 315 pixels. It’s also important to remember that the mobile-friendly area falls within 560 x 315 pixels.

When you’ve found an image, click Add a Cover Photo in the upper-left corner of the cover photo space.

Call-to-Action

What do you want people to do on your Facebook page? Sign up for a giveaway or newsletter? Buy something? Access your website?

1. Create a call-to-action button to give them an easy way to do so – here’s how.
2. Click on Add a Button under the right corner of your cover photo.
3. Choose the type of standard button that best fits what you want to do.
4. We’d recommend at the very least adding a Get In Touch button and a Learn More button.

Description

The description area tells people what your page is about. The more information you give potential new followers, the likelier they are to stick around. You’re limited to 155 characters, and the description shows up in search results, so you’ll want to think about how potential followers might search for a product or service.

Username

We’d also recommend customizing your Facebook URL with a unique username. Match it to your brand.

Optimizing Your Facebook Page Preview

If someone is looking over your Facebook page, a page preview will be shown. This allows potential customers to learn more about your company, whether they view it as an ad or see content posted by someone from your website. You also see this glimpse in the About section of a personal profile as you hover over related brands and businesses.

1. Make sure the information in your page’s About tab is complete. This includes a summary and website link.
2. Confirm your call-to-action and messaging options.
3. Ensure your page is collecting and promoting positive Facebook reviews if relevant.
4. Curate the content you upload to your page so that the thumbnails and images are part of an attractive mosaic – they appear below your preview.
5. Pay attention to Facebook Insights. It can tell you whether or not your efforts to optimize your Facebook page preview are successful.