Five often untold things to expect when launching your Facebook page

By Les Robinson

You’ve decided to start a Facebook page. Here are five things the other articles tend to overlook.

1) You’ll need a strategy.

The issue: There are so many so-called “experts” that the main issue is finding the advice that works for you. The good news is that you can cater your strategy to your business goals and objectives, and your plan will evolve over time. Remember, Facebook is about conversation and being real. Think how you would conduct yourself at a social event in person. Would you just start talking and trying to sell people something, or would you first get to know folks, ask questions, share common interests, and have a two-way conversation?

What to do:

Know how often to post. Posting more doesn’t mean you’ll get seen more often. If you post too much, it can also get annoying for the audience.
What are they already talking about? Launch your page with content that reflects conversations in your store or online.
Get training. Free webinars are all over the Internet, and there are tons of articles and books that can provide perspective.
Look at other retailers. There is value in building upon the ideas that are working for others. Spend time each day studying the pages of other brands.

2) You’re going to have to lower your expectations.

The issue: You may wonder why you only have nine fans after a month (and seven of them are employees). Don’t worry. You’re a local dealer with a local audience. The goal is to reach the right people. These people live in your area, buy your products, and spread the word.

What to do:

Promote your Facebook page where it makes sense. Put a link on your company website or a sign next to the cash register. What about including the address or mention of it on invoices, mailings, etc.? Use offline media to drive online.
Tell your walk-in customers about your page by working it into the conversation.
“Like” other pages on Facebook that do business with you. Interact on those pages or mention them in your posts.

 3) It takes more time than you thought.

The issue: After you implement a strategy and your fan base begins to grow, you need to invest time. Social media is, well, social. If you don’t interact, your fans will stop paying attention.

What to do:

Set aside time. Take 10-15 minutes at several checkpoints throughout the day. Check first thing in the morning, do a mid-day check, and an end-of-day check. You don’t want a question sitting all night.
Recruit others. It’s a safe bet that other folks in your organization have experience with Facebook. Maybe they can check the page when you’re not.
Be careful who gets access. It’s a good idea to recruit others, but only give key managers access to respond and comment.

4) Negative comments will happen.

The issue: By starting a page, you’re allowing others to give their feedback, and they won’t always be kind. Just simply deleting negative comments is not the answer. Monitor your page, and be an active part of it. Remember, flipping an upset consumer to a fan in the social media world is a very powerful endorsement of your business.

What to do:

Establish guidelines for the audience. It’s OK to let them voice their opinions as long as they’re not obscene. Publish guidelines in the “Info” section or where it’s easy to find.
Establish guidelines for your business. How will you and your social media representatives respond to negative feedback? Under what circumstances will you take comments down? Establish this BEFORE the situation occurs.

5) You’re going to have to analyze.

The issue: It’s hard to tell what’s working. To get the most out of your efforts, measure data to understand who your audience is and what they respond to.

What to do:

Facebook Insights. Once your page gets 30 “likes,” you’re provided with User Insights and Interaction Insights, a data tool that allows you to understand and analyze trends.
Understand and use Insights. Insights offer a lot of information. Focus on what means the most to your strategy.
What to measure:

Post Views tell you the number of times fans and non-fans view a particular piece of content you post.
Post Feedback lets you know how many times your post was interacted with (Likes and Comments).
Like Sources shows you a breakdown of the number of likes from places where people can like your page from.
Demographics tell you who your audience is and what they look like.
External Referrers are the top external domains referring traffic to your page.

“Likes” are a vanity metric because it feels good to have a lot of fans. You’ll be tempted to overemphasize the importance of how many fans you have. While it is important that people “like” your page, it may not be the most important metric when you’re getting started.

Overall, creating a Facebook page for your business is worth the time it takes to run it. Educate yourself, take small steps, anticipate situations based on what others have learned, and document what you learn along the way. Facebook pages can help you develop relationships with existing customers and potential ones in a new way. And that’s reason enough!

 Les Robinson, a five-year veteran with social media, is the social media specialist for Stihl Inc.