Facebook What Should You Say?

Now that you’ve setup a Facebook Page you're probably wondering what you should post. What you post really depends on a few things: What type of business are you? What’s your personality? What are your goals?

Even for professional writers, creating great content on a regular basis can be a real struggle. And while not every blog, Twitter, or Facebook post needs to be mind-blowing or all-inclusive (break longer content into smaller chunks), you do want to deliver something of value to your customers, members, investors, and prospects every time they see your organization's name. So you do you make life easy for yourself? 

1. Don’t think too hard.
   Obviously being thoughtful is really important and you want to show the world how smart you are. But you don’t actually need to think too hard to provide people with something of value. Remember: no one knows your business better than you do, and people are probably coming to your Page because they already see you as an authority. Proactively providing answers to questions they might have, summarizing industry articles or books you have read, and sharing insightful videos with some key takeaways can all get you moving in the right direction.
2. Capture your own conversations.
   Creating content is about telling stories, and you have stories in your life every day. One of the best sources of social content is to play back interesting conversations that you're having with your friends or family or customers relating to your business. Share a customers’ success story or how they might be doing something different, relay a discussion about a product that you recently had, or highlight key takeaways from an event you attended. Your life is full of great stories that your readers could find interesting.
3. Know your audience. Every organization is different and every audience has its own set of needs and goals and preferences. Whether formally (a survey) or informally (casual conversations) you need to find out what people are looking for from you via
   your social networks. Are they looking for coupons? For inside information? Advice? Short tips? Long articles? All of those insights can help narrow down the number of options you might have and tell your stories in the most appropriate way.

How Often Should You Post?

The key is consistency. If you post every hour, every day for a month, and then go radio silent for a week, that will throw your fans off. Find a frequency that works for your schedule, and your audience, and stick to it. It can be as simple as once a day or every other day.

Should You Take Down Comments or Posts?

First, consider creating company or organization guidelines for appropriate Facebook content. It’s important to show your fans that you’re a transparent, authentic organization, so resist the urge to delete a negative comment, unless it’s in clear violation of your policy. Instead, use a negative comment as an opportunity to showcase your customer service and empathy, and as a learning opportunity for what you can improve.

How Much (Or How Little) Should You Respond to Comments?

You want to give your fans some room to form your brand community with you. That means be responsive to their questions and post content to spark interaction, but let fans talk to each other without you at the center. Finding this balance can be a challenge, but when you do, it gives you a chance to listen, and your fans the chance to develop a deeper relationship with your brand.

We know this is probably obvious, but we’ll say it anyway: Facebook is about individual people connecting. So when you’re putting content on your Facebook Page, think about what they’ll like as people, not just as potential customers.

The great thing about Facebook is that it lets you humanize your brand, so people really get to build a relationship with it. This means you can be a little more conversational with your customers, but you should still be sure you’re posting things that fit with what your brand’s all about.

Don't forget that your brand stands for something, and what works for you might not work for other businesses. For example, a toothpaste brand could post about hygiene and funky tooth facts, but a laundry detergent brand might post about stain removal, or maybe even fashion.

The things you do to increase brand awareness, find prospects,  and generate sales on Facebook are core to any small organization.  Now they are just happening online.

• Be smart. The best way to get noticed and to develop a following is to become an industry resource. How do you let people know you’re smart? Post links to blog posts about your industry, or even highlight the good work of your competitors when it makes sense.
  
  
• Find a niche for your expertise. Chances are that your business or cause is not for everyone, so build a brand around what you do best and share it with those who are most likely to care.
  
  
• Be friendly. Share company traditions. Showing that you’re human will help you stand out in the crowd.
  
  
• Be on your customers’ minds. Remind your fans about your great deals, events, and news and stay at the top of their newsfeed. This helps you become a part of their day-to-day lives.
  
  
• Let your customers know they’re on your mind. Wish them Happy Birthday, highlight one of their achievements, or share a photo of them from a past event.

Facebook is a great place for nonprofits to connect supporters with their mission. Here’s what you should keep in mind when promoting your nonprofit on Facebook:

People on Facebook love to talk about issues they care about, and this is good news for nonprofits. Share photos of the rainforest you preserved, the people you fed, or the puppies you saved. The best part of a nonprofit Facebook Page is that people really like to “like” you and share their causes with friends.

Don’t expect Facebook to drive direct donations—but do use it to help people get to know your mission and the great things you do. That way, when you run your donor campaigns, they already know you and they’ll want to support you.

As a nonprofit some of your main goals are probably to raise awareness, inspire action, and collect donations. Luckily, Facebook has a way to help you reach each of these goals.

1. Add the Causes App to take donations and raise awareness.  Visit http://www.facebook.com/causes to install the app!
   
   
2. Just like B2C, get close to your supporters. Wish them Happy Birthday, highlight one of their achievements, or show photos of them getting involved.