What makes a Facebook page great? Is it the look and feel, the set up, the content, the fan count, the way you market it?
Well, in a word, yes!
All of these factors influence the overall growth and impact of you Facebook page. But let’s talk about these dynamics in more detail to determine why they’re so important and what you should focus in on to help save time managing your Facebook page, while dissecting some of the most successful Facebook pages in the optometric industry to help you as a guide to Facebook supremacy.
The Look and Feel
Facebook’s new timeline has given ECPs a great opportunity to display the personality of their office to their fans with a cover image. Not only is it the 1st thing your fans notice when they come to your page but it’s also the 1st thing that NON-fans notice. A very engaging cover image and profile picture can mean the difference between converting a user into a fan or not.
Notice the great tie into the community that Park Slope Eye used when deciding on their cover image. It shows off their personality and automatically associates their practice with family.
The Set Up
It’s important when setting up your page to fully complete the information asked of your business, especially any descriptive text boxes. This can have added benefits for your Facebook page’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Fill these boxes with descriptive language of your practice including services, location, doctor’s names, etc. Be sure to have add in your hours as well as contact information as this can be accessed not only through Facebook desktop version, but the mobile version as.
The Content
Engaging content is the most important factor in the success of a Facebook page. 90% of your Facebook fans will never revisit your page after liking it. They will only interact with your page through their newsfeeds. How to get in the newsfeed? By posting engaging content.
The way Facebook determines what a user sees in their newsfeed is determined by their algorithm called EdgeRank. This formula helps decide what a user should see based off of what is in the post, what the users engagement level with the post creator is and when it’s post.
So what content will get my posts in the news feed?
- Include media with your posts - Photos, links and videos are ranked heavier than those just including text
- Be descriptive but brief - Facebook users tend to scan, not read
- Focus on your community and practice – Posts that users can relate to are more likely to gain interaction
- Splash some information in there – Your practice has knowledge and access to knowledge that your fans want to know about. Include articles to new news and technology, or just fun facts.
Check out the great content Bright Eyes Tampa adds to their wall.
The Fan Count
Having a high fan count is obviously a great concern to anyone on Facebook. But having a fan base half the size but more interactive can be just effective.
On average a post will reach only 16% of your fan base. If you post on a consistent basis, following the above tips your posts’ reach can double within a few weeks.
How You Market Your Page
Fan count is not the deciding factor on the success of your page but you do need an initial fan base, so here are some tips:
- Invite your personal friends through either word of mouth or by the “Invite Friends” function in the admin panel
- Include a social plugin on your website as well as your email communication
- Create in office material letting your patients know you have a Facebook page. Include a QR code to allow for mobile access in the office
Take a look around and notice what other top optometric Facebook pages are doing. Apply it to your own social media presence, stay persistent, and make social media a priority and you’ll reap the benefits of the social revolution.