Declining Facebook engagement, diminishing organic reach and decreased impressions. Do these sound familiar? You aren’t alone. Facebook’s algorithms are a moving target for today’s marketers. According to Facebook, two out of every three users visit a local business page. Yet businesses are increasingly struggling to gain visibility on consumers’ news feeds, and many businesses have recently seen a decline in their Facebook page performance. But there is good news! Facebook has recently made some updates to help you make valuable connections with your customers.
In short, your Facebook page will begin to perform more like a website for your business. Not only will users come for your great content, they will be now be able to see recommendations for your business from people they know and take valuable actions, like make purchases and access additional information.
Word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful for consumer purchasing decisions. Facebook recommendations are no different. With this update, users can post a recommendation for your business directly on your page. Any time a user publicly recommends your business in a Facebook group or to their friends, the recommendation automatically appears on your page. When your business is searched, Facebook will first show any recommendations made by a user’s friends. And what business wouldn’t want more referrals? To take advantage of this feature, be sure to enable recommendations on your business page.
You also want to highlight actions you want page visitors to take. Facebook has rolled out a collection of call-to-action buttons to be featured near the top of your business page. These calls to action include: book an appointment, shop now, order a delivery, send a message or write a recommendation. You can choose the action buttons that make the most sense for your business.
Getting important information to users quickly is critical for any business. With Facebook’s latest round of business page updates, you can spotlight your hours, prices and recommendations. You can also highlight new announcements, like events and offers. Facebook Stories are now more prominent and easier to access. Users can see your stories by clicking your profile photo.
Do you host events to drive business? You can now sell tickets directly through your Facebook business page. Facebook can also create ads specific to events, making promotion and marketing easier than ever.
Facebook’s updates don’t stop at consumer engagement. The new job listings feature, scheduled to deploy in the next few months, will be a powerful recruiting tool. Job openings will be visible to consumers engaged with your brand who could be passionate employees. This serves to broaden the reach of your job postings. With these updates, Facebook is making it easier for these users to interact with your business and find the information they need the most.
Ashley Sullivan, Lead Generation Specialist at RedRover Sales & Marketing Strategy, can be reached at redrovercompany.com.
