Whether you’re aiming for the warm, best buddy approach, or if you maintain a cool head of professionalism, there are certain protocols that every business on Facebook should follow.
Welcome to Facebook Etiquette for Businesses.
You have 90 minutes to make an impression – never outstay your welcome
The average post on Facebook has a lifecycle of 90 minutes1. By comparison, the average tweet will seize attention for a fleeting 24 minutes – this is why there is absolutely no need to bombard your Facebook followers with messages in the same way that Twitter necessitates.
A Facebook post will reach 75% of its full potential in the first five hours, so analyse the times and days you are posting to decipher when your audience are most likely to click, share, like and comment.
Don’t waste people’s time – stick to 40 characters or less
If you thought it was difficult to squeeze your message in to a 140 character tweet, here’s a bit of bad news… The ideal Facebook post for maximum engagement is just 40 characters2.
With the popularity of image-heavy social media networks Instagram and Pinterest, snappy headlines work even better when paired with a captivating picture, hence each Facebook post must be compiled from a twofold perspective.
Follow the 80/20 rule to avoid intruding
The primary purposes of a social media business page are to inform and entertain. Selling need only be a side effect.
Your posts on Facebook will display amongst family photos and content from users’ friends that they genuinely care about, and if an unwanted advert enters the newsfeed out of content, you’ll risk being blocked and unfollowed.
The 80/20 guideline is worth following when trying to get the balance right, as it means the bulk of your posts will serve to form relationships with your followers whilst the remaining 20% advertise, a formula that is less intrusive than a full-throttle marketing strategy.
If you’re willing to take a person’s money, be prepared to listen to their opinion
If you receive negative feedback from clients or customers on your Facebook business page, respond quickly and politely.
Where possible, offer a solution to the problem publicly as this will demonstrate your company’s exemplary customer services to other potential and existing customers, or alternatively, direct complainants to the business email address or telephone number if you prefer to deal with issues privately.
Never block users from posting to your page unless they are spammers because you risk permanently severing ties with them and losing their future custom when the issue could have been resolved.
Want more social media tips? You may be interested in reading Twitter tips in 140 characters or less.
1 Digital Marketing Ramblings, 2015. By the Numbers: 85 Amazing Facebook Page Statistics. [Online] Available at: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/facebook-page-statistics/.
2 Wisemetrics, 2014. Your tweet half-life is 1 billion times shorter than Carbon-14’s. [Online] Available at: http://blog.wisemetrics.com/tweet-isbillion-time-shorter-than-carbon14/.
Accessed 18th February 2015.
