Using Facebook to grow your business is no longer as simple as knowing what and when to post (although this is still crucial). Something as simple as missing contact information, not knowing how soon as business will be in touch or a blurry image may be the difference between a new customer for you…or your competitor.
We’re going to share with you our top 5 favourite (and often overlooked) Facebook business features and how to best use them for your business.
Want to know a bit about everything they have to offer?
Offer Ads (Free or Paid)
Tell everyone about your in-store or online sales, offers and discounts. You can reach the Create an Offer, Discount or Deal page by clicking on the Offers tab on the side of your Facebook business page or on the top of the Create a Post box.
You can set the offer type (discount percentage, buy one get half off, free shipping, etc), the discount amount, the items the offer applies to, how long it applies for, if it’s in-store or online only (or both) and add an image to entice people. If there’s a particular code they need to know, be sure to let them know by adding it to the designated box.
Once your offer is live, you can boost your post for as little as $1.00 a day.
Facebook Live (Free)
Have something exciting going on in-store or going on? Maybe you’re receiving a new delivery of stock people have been registering their interest for. You could even have a stall at a conference or expo. Whatever it is, hop on Facebook live and share it with your followers!
Things to remember:
- Speak clearly. If there is noise in the background, find somewhere quiet or ensure people will be able to hear you over it.
- Hold your phone steady. Using a tripod (they run for as little as $6 at department stores) will balance the view if you have a shaky grip.
- Engage with users commenting. Give them a shoutout, ask questions, share offers or discounts codes they can use—they’ll love it!
Insights (Free)
The way to improve at anything is to check progress, adjust and continue the cycle. If you’re not checking your Facebook insights (tab at the top of your page), you’ll have minimal idea of how many new followers you have (and you’re losing), likes on a post compared to how many people see it and more.
Take note of the posts people like, including more into your strategy. Some posts may not be worth the time it takes to create if they’re receiving minimal interaction. Your insights will show you what posts to keep, where to spend your boost money and what to nto bother with.
Pages to Watch (Free)
What are your competitors doing? Are they doing better than you on Facebook? Well, if you scroll down to the bottom of your Insights page, you can add anyone’s page and see how it compares week-to-week. You can see your page likes, the increase from last week, how many posts they’ve added in the last week and how many people engaged with them.
Keep in mind, businesses can add you to their watch list too!
Profanity Filters (Free)
This one isn’t so much a feature, but a courtesy for people on your page. Under Settings, General, you can set a profanity filter for Facebook to automatically block inappropriate language. There are different levels to the profanity filter to suit your audience:
Off: No filter.
Medium: Hides most inappropriate language, however, they may leave some slang words that may be insulting to some.
High: Hides all potentially inappropriate language.
Facebook does not share what words are on their no-no list, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for any language you don’t want on your page while replying and liking comments from followers (or lurkers). If you know you’ll have a younger or more discreet audience, definitely set your filter to high.
Download Our Complete Facebook Business Page Best Practice Guide
Don’t forget, we have gone over almost every feature you can use on a Facebook business page in our complete guide.