Research Shows a Company Facebook is a Must But Why?

According to research by HubSpot, 95 percent of millennials expect a business to have social media profiles, specifically a Facebook profile. The percentage gradually declines, but even 70 percent of people ages 45 to 60 expect brands to have a Facebook page. This means that if you are the last one to hop on the Facebook bandwagon – now is the time to jump on board.

Regardless of the demographic your products or services are targeted to, you need to have a social media presence. This is where consumers go to interact, review information, and research a company. If you are active with social media, it provides a level of transparency that consumers expect from a reputable brand.

When planning for your Facebook marketing strategy it is important to understand what consumers expect on Facebook. In addition to having a profile, what you do on social media has either a positive or negative impact on your reputation.

Company Facebook Page Tips

• Stay personable. Consumers want to feel like they are interacting with someone that they can trust. While the company is made up of multiple people, make sure that your “voice” stays consistent regardless of who is posting to the page. Be sure to relax your posts and interactions so that they sound personable and friendly, rather than stuffy or too corporate.

• Entertain people. Your social media posts should be interesting and entertaining rather than boring or stuffy. Even if you are sharing information about your product, you can do so in a way that is relatable. For example, if you sell furniture instead of talking about the materials and how fantastic they are, create a video of kids jumping on the couch to demonstrate that your furniture won’t break. Then you can talk about the materials. When posting, think about what would make your customers stop to take a look and make sure that your posts are entertaining enough to capture their attention when scrolling through their news feed.

• Be helpful. Limit your self-promotion posts and provide consumers with helpful tips and information. This could be creative ideas for how to use your product or helpful tips that would relate to your consumer base in general.

• Provide real support. This is key. Consumers expect brands to provide support through social media, and they expect answers quickly. If you can rise to the challenge and deliver personable, fast support, you will gain loyal customers. A study by Edison Research found that 9 percent of consumers want a response within five minutes, 25 percent want it within 24 hours, and 42 percent are looking for a response within an hour. That means that you need to have someone paying attention to your social media channels throughout the day and responding quickly. When you do so, you show real caring and customers will begin to trust your brand overall.

Remember that with Facebook marketing and social media, the goal is to build fans for life. This is not a short term marketing ploy, but a chance to build real relationships. The value to your brand is that when you do, customers will be unlikely to leave for the competition.