Simple Facebook Facts - How to Engage Customers

Talking to small business owners and sole traders, it seems that the majority don't understand how Facebook's metrics work, especially since the changes late last year, and still rely on people 'liking' the page in order to get customers to their page and seeing their wares.

Here's the cold hard fact:  when a person "likes" your page it no longer ensures she sees your content. 

Here's what you must do: Stop focusing on getting lots of likers and instead focus on giving the ones you have a good experience.

Here's how it works : 
Give fans content that they engage with.  In order for it to be of use to you, they must comment, share, click like and so on - this registers with Facebook that they want to see your page, therefore Facebook is more likely to show your page on that user's wall in future.  If their engagement drops off, so Facebook will bring your page to their attention less and less.  So you must find ways to get them to interact and do so repeatedly. 

Remember - Engagement is what keeps those likers seeing your page.

What can you do?

• You can ask your fans questions - people love to share opinions.  You can do this as a status update sometimes and other times use the questions application (app).

• Add photos - not too many at once, and certainly not lots of batches one after another or you will swamp people's walls and they are likely to 'hide' your page - you do not want that to happen.  Photos will often get comments and likes by fans, and is an easy way to engage them.

• Have competitions - simple and fun things work best.  Make sure whatever it is, it's relevant to your business.  For example, if you sell cards, ask for a caption for a card and offer the winner a prize from a certain folder - many potential customers will go and look through the folder to choose what they might win.  That way you get lots of interactions from the one competition and you share your products with potential new buyers.

•  Add video or links to videos that are appropriate to your business.  Videos carry a lot of weight with Facebook so getting people to interact with them is very valuable indeed.

The key to all interactions, though, is to remain honest to your company, your values, and your own voice - just be you - in the hope of gaining a following by giving the customer what he or she wants.