Is Facebook killing your business?

As a social media consultant I am asked often what platforms are absolutely necessary for a business or public figure. No matter what the industry my answer always includes Facebook - something you either likely love or view as a necessary evil! But even though Facebook IS a necessary evil (and honestly you will not be taken seriously by the public or peers if you don't have a Facebook presence), it also requires that it be done right...and the consequences of having a bad Facebook presence could be worse than having no presence at all! When a potential client, customer, patient, follower or partner does their homework on you or your business, they are now as likely to do a Facebook search as they are a web search. And when they look at your page there are four things they look at first and immediately form their impression of you and your brand (whether it is on a subconscious level or not!): 

1. Your cover photo
2. Your icon photo
3. The number of likes
4. How long ago your last post was and how much interaction (likes, comments, shares) it has

The effect of this variety of factors will determine whether they make up their minds instantly that you/your business is a "big deal!" or small potatoes, has great credibility or may be a newbie, is busy with things happening or stagnate. If your numbers, images, frequency of posting and interaction from your posts do not reflect your brand however, you can actually lose business!

I have seen this exact thing happen on many occasions. One time I was working with a franchise and some people would not go to a certain location because those owners would not fulfill the requirements of the Facebook strategy we gave them. The customers actually would drive an extra 15 minutes to another location simply because the Facebook presence wasn't as current, interactive and there weren't as many good reviews as the other location! More and more people get there impressions and build their trust, or lack of it, on these elements of Facebook pages.

It used to be easy and practically free to build a page and a good following, but since Facebook went public, I have seen a lot of changes. There are still specific strategies that do work however, and it takes a comprehensive approach to reach the goals and standards of each business, which are different for each business and industry. As a local dentist, you would not have the expectation of having as many likes as, say a best-seliing author/nationally known business coach. The brand integrity expectations are different for every industry, every audience, every person, business and goal....what are yours?

I would love to help you get there. Setup a free consultation to see if your page meets the credibility expectations for your industry and long-term business goals! Email me at cforrester@kisssocialmediamarketing.com