Optimizing Your Facebook Business Page
Maintaining a reliable and up-to-date Facebook presence is an important part of any tour and activity businesses’ marketing plan. More than just a social platform, a quality Facebook page can help with anything from driving more online bookings to placing your business higher on Google search engine results. (And who doesn’t want that?)
Whether you’re just getting started or a social media hero, your business page isn’t complete until it’s squared away with these Facebook fundamentals.
Custom Branding
After setting up a Facebook business page and a custom business url, your page should be outfitted with a high-res profile photo and cover photo. These visual spaces are some of your best branding opportunities, and page visitors should be able to get a clear grasp of your company’s logo and branding with just a quick glance.
Engaging Content
A beautiful homepage is only the start—consistently update your page with creative and relevant content that engages visitors and communicates your brand. Share high quality images, captivating videos and exclusive company news, optimizing the content for engagement by keeping posts short and linking directly to your website. As customers begin to interact with your content through comments, shares and likes, be sure to stay involved in the conversation. As Forbes Magazine recommends, it is crucial to engage with customers as they comment on Facebook page posts. Responding to these comments is a great way to build a relationship with your visitors and see returning customers.
Direct Bookings
Beyond building your brand, Facebook offers additional add-ons that tour and activity businesses can include on their page to promote online bookings. One such add-on is a direct call-to-action button that sits on the Facebook page. By choosing the “Book Now” call-to-action button and linking it to your business’ website, you can drive potential customers directly from your Facebook page to your online booking form. You also have the option of creating a “Book Now!” tab that’ll be located next to the “About” tab. For FareHarbor customers, this tab opens up as a real-time calendar that allows customers to see activity availability directly from your Facebook page.
Consistent Posting
Establish a schedule and stick to it. You should be posting at least once a week, and no more than once or twice a day. Remember that quality is more important than quantity, and consistently posting a few times a week is better than clumped together or infrequent and scattered posts. Facebook offers several tools to help you get your content in front of the right audience at the right time. Their scheduling tool allows you to create and schedule posts to appear at a later date or time, making it easy to build and maintain a consistent posting schedule. Posts can also be “boosted” on the Facebook page, so that those who like your page will be more likely to see the post. Spending as little as five dollars to boost a post can dramatically increase the number of customers who receive, engage with and revisit your content.
Once your page is beautifully branded, consistently updated and set up to receive direct bookings, it’s time to add a Facebook icon or Facebook call-to-action button to your business’ website. Don’t let your hard work go unnoticed.
Stay tuned for our next blog post on how to master the art of Facebook Advertising!
