Engage Local Customers with New Facebook Features

Giving your business a strong Facebook presence means you have an opportunity to connect with customers, let them know about new products, answer questions and concerns, and increase brand awareness. Facebook has had business pages for the last couple years, but recent updates have brought new features that can really help engage with local customers, whether you are a large or small business.

Facebook Now A Local Business Search Engine

Facebook has moved into the Yellow Pages business, providing information on local businesses. This means if you are a small business owner, for the first time on Facebook you have the opportunity to display your business on their map, which will help people find your location. You are also able to categorize your location, so you could show up in a search if someone is looking for a “restaurant” or “coffee shop”. Also, you will be able to give people the option to check in at your establishment. Businesses listed on the site are ranked on a five-star scale. So it gives you the opportunity to garner positive reviews from your customer base. Users have the ability to “like” your business and receive updates from you in the future.

Scheduling Posts

This new feature allows administrators to write posts in advance and have them posted at a specific time. If you want to let customers know about different offers on different days, schedule the posts in advance so you don’t have to worry about constantly checking up. This works by showing a clock in the status update box, where you can choose a time for posting. Create a post and manage it for the activity log, where you can cancel or reschedule.

Facebook Pages Mobile App

The new mobile app Facebook has released allows you to monitor your businesses page while you’re on the go. Active Facebook administrators know that it is nice to be able to respond quickly to any customer needs through Facebook and really engage in a conversation with the customers. If you are looking to forge a greater community around your business, the Facebook mobile app may be right for you. This app makes it easy to post, moderate comments, and receive alerts. While the app has some limitations, including moderating posts on high volume pages and an inability to create events or have future post scheduling capability, it is a good start and worth having if you need to manage your page and are away from a computer for large parts of the day.

Promote Your Posts

Pay a fee and reach Facebook users that normally wouldn’t see your updates or receive information about your business. There are a number of ways to target users, location, interest, or friends of fans of your page. You must have over 400 likes in order to promote your page, so there is a large hurdle to being able to use this tool, especially for a local business, but if you can get there, it is a great tool that can be utilized for a little as five dollars.

Level of Administration

Assign different roles to the people who administer your Facebook page and regulate the access they have. While navigating the page you manage, simply click “Edit Page” and then the “Admin Panel” and finally click “Admin Roles”. Then select one of the five roles: manager, content creator, moderator, advertiser or insights analyst.

With over a billion users on Facebook and surely many in your area, a Facebook presence is necessary for any serious business. Keeping up on the latest will ensure your business is on the cutting edge.