As social media marketing consultants and digital ad agency in Charleston, South Carolina, our SMO and SEO company experts help businesses and organizations take advantage of the marketing opportunities such as using Facebook. Facebook remains the top social network social media site of choice for adults 35 years of age and older. There are 1.44 billion active users, many whom check Facebook daily.
Many of our clients already have a Facebook business page. However, few of them have taken advantage of many of Facebook’s features to optimize their page for their audience. In this article, we’ll show you some of the more advanced optimization features you may have overlooked that can help you get noticed and to get you more business through Facebook
Facebook’s Local Business Page vs. Company Page
Whether you are just creating your business page or you are tweaking one you’ve already set up, you are presented with a choice between a Facebook Local Business Page or a Facebook Company Page (Company, Organization, or Institute). Choosing the right type of page will help you be successful when it comes to marketing on Facebook:
- Local Business Page – If you have a store or a shop with a single location that you want people to visit, then this is the best choice for you.
- Company Page – If you have more than one location or you’re an online-based company, then this is your best choice.
This chart shows the features available depending on whether you choose company vs. local business:
Chart of Features
Facebook’s Business Page Verification
You can now get a “verified” badge for your business page. The badge displays as a checkmark in a circle. The badges will help people find “authentic accounts” for businesses. Also, according to Facebook, verified pages will also show up higher in search results.
Business Page Verification
The verification feature is located within a Business Page’s admin “Settings” under the “General” Section. To get your page verified, find “Page Verification” and choose “Edit.”
Business Page Verification
Next, you’ll be presented with a screen to begin the verification process.
Business Page Verification
You have two choices to verify your business page. First, business owners can verify their Pages immediately using their business’ publicly listed phone number. When you click “Call Me Now,” you get a telephone call from Facebook and a recorded message giving you a PIN number to enter on the screen to complete verification.
Business Page Verification
Second, you can verify your business page by uploading documents such as a phone bill or your business license. This process can take several days to complete.
Business Page Verification
Facebook’s Response Time & Instant Replies
Response Time – You have the option of letting people how quickly your business will respond to messages sent through Facebook. You can choose “Automatically show your average response time.” If your business responds to 90 percent of message within five minutes a green “very responsive” will be displayed on your page. Otherwise, you make other selections such as “Typically replies within an hour.” Regardless, it is a good idea to give your target audience an idea of when to expect a response from your business or organization and for you to respond as soon as possible.
Response Time & Instant Replies
Instant Replies – By selecting “Use Instant Replies,” you can have an automated reply that goes to all users who message you on your Business Page for the first time. You can customize 250-character message that’s automatically sent to the user before have the opportunity to send a personalized response.
Facebook’s Preferred Page Audience
Using Facebook’s Preferred Page Audience settings, you can define your target audience by Location, Age, Gender and Interests.
Preferred Page Audience
For many businesses and organizations, you can probably exclude persons closer to the 18-year old range because that demographic is not likely to be making purchasing decisions (unless, for example, you sell comics or game consoles).
Interests will allow you to further target Facebook users beyond simple demographics. However, be careful with these selections because many average Facebook users may not have indicated to Facebook many of their interests. When in doubt, do not make any Interest selections.
Facebook’s Place Tips
Place Tips
Using place tips and the Bluetooth Beacon, you have the option to customize messages and images that are shown to visitors to your physical location. Here is what Facebook has to say about these features.
At a restaurant, Place Tips can show the menu, reviews and frequently mentioned information about the establishment, like a signature cocktail or popular table. Place Tips for a retail store can help customers find business hours, locate popular items and learn about upcoming events.
Facebook’s Services Tab
Depending on the categories and/or subcategories you’ve selected for your business page, such as “Lawyer,” you may be presented with a “Services” tab for your page. If so, you can display a detailed and customized list of all of the services provided by your business or organization.
Showcase Services
You can add many services, give each service a custom name (40 characters) such as “Web Design,” a custom description (200 characters) and a custom photo to display with each service.
Edit Service
Facebook Call-to-Action Button
The last optimization feature is your business page “Call-To-Action” button. To add a call-to-action button on your Page, go to your Page’s cover photo and click “Create Call to Action.”
Call-To-Action Button
Using the call to action button, you can drive users to take specific actions such as visiting your company website, calling on a mobile device, or scheduling an appointment with your office.
Call-To-Action Settings
Other Features
While we’ve covered some of the more advanced optimizations for your company’s Facebook page, don’t overlook the basics such as filling out the short and long descriptions, hours of operation, indicating whether you have parking, and many more features you can find under the “Settings” section of your Facebook admin page. Also, take the time to occasionally explore your business page and its settings. Facebook has been rolling out new features over the past several months. Oftentimes, Facebook adds these features without any notice or fanfare, so they are easy to miss.
